Sasuke, Not Uchiha
by The 8th Stone
Summary: After falling at the hands of Madara, Sasuke pays the price of "pain" and travels back into the past to prevent the tragic deaths of the members of Team 7. Time-Travel. Slight Sasu/Saku.
1. Who Are You? The Stranger In Konoha

**Sasuke (Not Uchiha)**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Naruto**_** or any of its characters.**

**A/N:** _Sasuke (Not Uchiha) _is my first Naruto fanfic. The primary story idea is inspired by the fic _Contradicted_ by **HauntedAngel**. One of my theories while reading the story (that didn't come true) involved Sasuke knowing who Sakura was, but didn't tell. Then everything extended and so forth into an actual plot inside my head.

Another inspiration is the manga/anime _TSUBASA RESERVoir CHRoNicles_ by **CLAMP**. Originally, this was supposed to be a Tsubasa and Naruto crossover, but the role of Tsubasa in general was too little, with no characters or plot relating to the story. I found a different, better replacement for it. Even though the ending of Tsubasa was... rather annoying, it was a stepping block in SNU.

Then there's _Of Fate and the Unexpected_ by **Paige O.o**. First Naruto fic I've ever read. OFatU got me converted into a Naruto Fanfiction writer. :)

And, lastly, of course, is _Naruto_ itself. It is epically awesome, even if there are times when the plot goes downhill. But I will always look into the brighter future.

SasuSaku for the win, people. ^_^

* * *

**Full Summary: **After the horrifying death of Team 7, Sasuke was able to transport back in time for a "price" five year into the past, where he meets his teammates, alive and well. However, no one remembers him, not even his best friends. Stripped of his clan and his past, Sasuke must save his teammate from all the dangers they'd faced, all over again. While past and present interknit and intertwine, Sasuke finds himself strangely gravitated toward a certain pink-haired teammate, who seemed to have found her way into the boy's heart once more...

* * *

1. Who Are You! The Stranger In Konoha

In his very worst nightmare, the only thing he saw was the ever-retreating figures of Naruto and Sakura.

Sasuke opened his eyes, revealing the bright, crimson-red Sharingan, and lunged blindly in front. But he was far too late. A shadow, barely forming, appeared beside them. With a single strike, Madara stabbed both of them straight through the heart. The masked man turned toward Sasuke, his gleeful sneer could only be seen through his words. Sasuke watched helplessly as Sakura and Naruto staggered then crumpled to the ground. Dead.

"Really now," he said, holding the Kusanagi against him. "I really thought they would be more of a challenge than _that_. The ex-Kyuubi Host and a Sannin's apprentice. Even your old sensei was more of a fun." He tutted disappointedly. "And who would've thought that you would be so naïve as well? I thought you wanted to avenge our clan... Well, I wouldn't mind enlightening you in your last moments." He jutted his chin to the left, indicating the broken battlefield, though his own eyes never left his face. "Do you see that? That is Konoha, our home, the place that we have grown to love, to leave, to hate, then to destroy. What is it now? Merely a grave. Tens and hundreds of years later this place would be forgotten, nothing but an old ruin. But you can say, thanks to me, the Uchiha name will still live on, passing down the legend. Of how I, Madara Uchiha, defeated the evil shinobi tyrants and restored _peace_ to this world."

The sword was shifted a millimeter closer to Sasuke's throat, impossible for him to even move a muscle. "A pity, really, that Tsunade chose to give her life to this boy after I removed the Nine-Tails from him. Things could've been a lot more interesting. And that girl—" Even with the mask on, Sasuke could see his smirk "—she had trusted you, didn't she? After all, they both did. It is no fault but yours that they had ended up like this. There is no place for fools like them in this world. Don't you agree with me, Sasuke?"

The last sentence evoked his anger. Sasuke realized that there was no other passion as strong as the hatred that he felt for the man in front of him now. Without any consideration, he dove for Madara.

_Swish!_ That was the sound of a blade, slicing through air.

Pain, like nothing else, coursed through every nerve of his body from the hole that was created in his stomach. Sasuke could barely register the sound of Madara's mad, hysterical laughing as he fell on the ground, stabbed by his very own sword.

His keen hearing caught on to his footsteps leaving behind the background of screams and pleads of mercy. Sasuke opened one bloodied eye, glancing at the aflamed ruins one more time before his head dropped to the ground.

Madara left him to slowly bleed to death. It wasn't as if it would matter either way. His wounds were too deep for even the strongest medic-nin to heal. The man had made certain of that.

How had it come down to this? How was it that, even after he had reunited with his teammates, this had happened?

He couldn't give up. He couldn't. He couldn't.

A shift of his shoulder brought a shearing sense of extreme pain. Sasuke felt as if his whole being was jabbed by one thousand knifes. Over and over again.

_Ba-dum ba-dum._

Noises of the battlefield began to fade into one single rhythm: the sound of his heartbeat. In his mind's eye, he saw Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi standing on that red bridge so long ago.

_Ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum._

Kakashi, even through the mask, could be seen smiling. Naruto was grinning his head off like a fool. Sakura gave a small serene smile of her own.

_Ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum._

He was with them too. His twelve year old self, smirking at some unknown joke.

_Ba-dum. Ba-dum._

What had changed?

_Ba-dum. Ba-dum..._

If only he hadn't... If only he had known... If only he could stop this ending...

_Ba-dum..._

The beating was getting fainter...

* * *

_A man's voice, middle-aged and clear as a bell, rang through his head._

"_I can change your past... but you have to give me something in return. Are you willing to change your past?"_

_He could not see that man, but his voice was calm, reassuring. Sasuke found it strangely comforting._

"_...Yes."_

_The world disappeared into an endless void of blackness, but he wasn't sure if it was the world or he had vanished. The only thing that had remained clear was the voice in his head, but even that began to fade as well._

"_Your price is—"_

* * *

**And so the fool continued on his road,  
Immovable,  
Inconvincible...  
He was deaf, from the words of truth  
Until  
The last step  
Brings him**

**Tumbling**

**Down**

**The**

**Cliff**

* * *

He woke up to the bright sunshine in a soft bed.

This impossibility was also completed with the even more ridiculous chirping of the birds and sounds of _people_ talking and laughing. What was happening? This was definitely not where he was supposed to be. Sasuke Uchiha was dead!

The painful memories of Madara on the battlefield cut through his groggy mind. He sat up. A blanket fell from his chest. He blinked.

_Perhaps you aren't dead,_ a voice inside his head said.

He sneered at nothing in particular. _Yeah,_ he shot back._ And this is freakin' _Konoha.

He thought he heard someone laugh, but when he turned around, Sasuke saw no one. He sensed no one.

What the hell?

Sasuke couldn't stand it anymore. He clambered forward to the window (why was everything so _high_ up?) and pulled the curtain aside. The sunlight came onto him on full-blast, and he had to blink a few times to get rid of the black spots.

When he could see again, Sasuke looked outside the window for a few seconds, and then—

"Oh-my-freakin'-god."

He had just seen the Hokage Mountain.

All the drowsiness, if any, had faded away immediately. Just then, he realized four other things:

Number One. He was shorter.

Number Two. His voice was higher.

Number Three. His hands were smaller.

Number Four... He was twelve years old.

Sasuke fainted.

* * *

_Okay... Calm down, you are an _Uchiha..._ There is _nothing_ you cannot handle... This is probably just a gentjutsu that is a little tougher than the others... You just have to figure it out before Madara returns... And then you will get a chance of—_

Of what? Avenging Itachi? Tsunade? Kakashi? Sakura? Naruto? Sasuke stuck his hands in his pockets, and walked down the street. People, both ordinary civilians and shinobi, were staring at him. _Who was he?_ they seemed to be thinking.

He no longer had the urge to slaughter every single one of the citizens like he had... before. But did it really matter now? This was all fake, an elaborate genjutsu no doubt created by Madara for some last minute torture. Sasuke's face scrunched up, twisting his childlike features into an unsightly sneer. Pulling his (illusionary, he reminded himself) hands from his pocket, Sasuke began the forming of a seal.

"Kai," he muttered.

Nothing changed.

"Kai," he repeated.

Nothing.

"Kai. Kai. Kai. Kai. K—Ugh!" In his moment of anger, his eyes had flashed red, revealing his Sharingan. This was not right... Normally he would've seen through any illusions with his bloodline, but nothing was happening.

Then again, this was Madara Uchiha they were talking about.

Sasuke walked past a shop and looked at himself at the reflection of the window, trying to get used to seeing the twelve year old. Then he stared at his eyes.

Three... _tomoe_?

_It doesn't matter!_ he shouted to himself for getting distracted. _Everything. Is. FAKE!_

He was wasting time. Time in a genjutsu world was never certain. The sooner he got out of this torture, the better.

A glint of sunlight, probably a reflection of someone's watch, caught him in the eye. The boy blinked and looked up, ready to murder whoever it was that had angered him in such a foul mood.

When he did, Sasuke felt as if his breath was knocked from his chest.

In front of him was a girl with bright pink hair.

* * *

"Sakura!" he shouted.

The girl did not turn, but continued forward with a bag in her arm.

"Sakura!"

Half the street was already looking at him.

Sasuke scowled in annoyance. Was she deaf or something?

Ignoring the nagging thought in the back of his head that this was, after all, a _genjutsu_, Sasuke ran after Sakura as fast as his feet could carry him (which was still pretty fast, even in his twelve year old form).

The figure stopped, back stooped slightly as if sighing. Sasuke quickly caught up, reaching out for her shoulder.

No need. Sakura turned around herself. An irritated look plastered on her face.

"Naruto, I told you not to—"

She stopped as he put a hand on her shoulder, trying to adjust his breathing. Never in his life had Sasuke tried to run so fast, and it seemed that his twelve-year old (illusionary) body couldn't handle it.

But he couldn't help but smirk a little. She had recognized him after all—

_Smack_!

That was the sound of Sakura's palm contacting the skin of Sasuke's face.

The bag that she had been carrying dropped on the ground, apples and peaches spilling everywhere.

"_Who are you?_"

* * *

_Who are you?_

Being on the receiving end of Sakura's violent side was never good, but that wasn't what Sasuke had been thinking about.

_Who are you?_

He glared at her, and then stopped. Of course. This was a genjutsu. Sakura was probably designed to react this way because, obviously, she was _not real_. What had he been thinking? If Madara had been hoping that he could leech more information out of him, he was wrong.

That was why he had been surprised when she said, "Who are you? What do you want? You are not from the Leaf. I haven't seen you around before. I would remember." Her face suddenly turned red like she had said too much.

He didn't answer.

Her embarrassment turned into irritation. "Well? What are you doing here? You're a shinobi, I'm sure. No one can move as fast. The kunai holster is kind of a giveaway too." When he didn't respond, she continued. "What village are you from? Sand? Grass? Stone? What business do you have in Leaf? The Chunin Exams are not until later this year."

Sasuke suddenly remembered that yellow slip he'd found in his pouch. The one with his name on it and the name... "Kumogakure. I am from the Village Hidden in the Cloud. And," he added, "I have a pass."

He held the pass in front of her face while studying Sakura. Her hair was long, and she wore no headband... That meant that she hadn't graduated from the Academy yet, but the leaves on the nearby trees indicated spring. So... about twelve years old?

He saw her gulp and tucked the pass to the village away.

"Oh! Seems like the real thing..."

"Can I leave now?" he asked rather bluntly, suddenly very tired of Sakura, fake or not. "I have... an appointment with the Hokage."

Sakura beamed at him. Sasuke was reminded terribly of how she had done so too, before. Once upon a time.

"Alright! You're new, right? I'll show you around!"

He took a step backward, but Sakura grabbed his arm and tugged him forward. Not knowing what to do, Sasuke could do nothing but to follow his lie.

* * *

The old man in the fancy rice bonnet sat in front of Sasuke, a pipe smoking from his hand and eyes concentrated on the sheet of something.

Sasuke's hand twitched.

The Third Hokage looked up from the paperwork and smiled kindly. He handed back Sasuke's pass and said, "Well, Sasuke, there is no fault in the document. From today on, you belong to the village of Konoha. Prove your loyalty as we test your strength. As you can tell, we do not normally let outside shinobi in our village, but with your background, it shall be an exception. Do you understand?"

The pale youth nodded, his dark eyes still trained upon a spot on the wall to the right. He was not meeting the old man's eye, or his smile.

Sasuke remembered that he had, as a genin, attended this man's funeral. It had been the first funeral since the Uchiha Massacre. It seemed that even the Sandaime had not remembered him. Sasuke looked at the old man, and then turned his attention back to the wall again.

"So... I heard that you have come here to search for your heritage. You also possess the Sharingan."

He was obviously trying to make conversation. Sasuke could simply nod, making it more awkward, and leave quickly (it was all just a _genjutsu_!), but he was... curious of what the man had to say. So what was the story?

A small voice whispered in the back of his mind that he actually didn't want to leave, that he wanted to stay like this, even at the last moments of his life. That he didn't care this was a genjutsu, that he simply wanted to be a Leaf-nin again.

Sasuke shut the voice up.

He did the next best thing beside a nod. "Yes."

"You've gotten separated from your family, since you are an orphan, correct? And you have the Sharingan. Though you do know what had happened to the Uchiha clan?"

"Yes."

"You strive to become a strong shinobi?"

"That is my goal." He had no idea what propelled him to say that, but it just sounded right. Even if it was very... Naruto-like.

The man smiled again. "You have dreams, Sasuke. That dream shall come true one day if you work hard. Your forehead protector will be given to you once you pass the test tomorrow. Wear it, and be proud of your heritage.

"Speaking of which—" he coughed twice as a book was flipped open "—there is also the matter of assigning teams."

"Hn." He couldn't care less about that. Sasuke was more curious about what had changed.

"...Unfortunately, all of the teams are full. But, there is a way of compromising..." the Hokage was probably talking aloud to fill in the silence "Aha. Here is one. One of the members already a Chunin—an early graduate from the Academy, I see... Much like a teacher's assistant. He is also an—but I'm sure it wouldn't matter much. Differences can be settled. The other two are only starting tomorrow... Then that's all good and done." The book snapped shut, and the man lifted his eyes to meet Sasuke's. "It is decided. You, Sasuke, will be joining Team 7 with your mentor, Hatake Kakashi."

The Third was oblivious to Sasuke's stunned silence as he continued on. "And you will be starting tomorrow." He smiled. "Eat a light breakfast."

* * *

Sasuke walked back to his apartment and fell on the bed.

On the way back to his apartment, Sasuke had to remind himself over and over again that This Was All A Genjutsu. Part of him was afraid (when was the last time _that_ had happened?), because he knew, deep down, that if this illusion continued, Sasuke would never, ever want to leave...

A voice chuckled in the back of his head. Sasuke whirled around and, as fast as lightning, threw a kunai toward the source. There was a dull _thunk!_ when the blade lodged itself onto his wooden dresser.

The voice laughed again in amusement. Sasuke's mind hit a small spot of recognition, but he could not recall the where or the when. It is never good to fight an unknown enemy, especially when you can't see them. Sasuke resorted on taunting.

"Show your face, coward," he said in a perfectly calm voice. Somehow that always seemed to aggravate his opponents more.

"I can't do that," the Voice said.

So he didn't fall for the taunt. Sasuke guessed that he could settle for destroying everything with his Chidori. After all, this was just—

"A genjutsu," the Voice finished for him. "Are you still focused on that theory?"

"Tch" was Sasuke's response as he hurled yet another kunai toward the nonexistent man.

Silence. The Voice began mulling things over, thinking to himself—itself. When it began again it held a thoughtful tone.

"Sasuke, if this was a genjutsu, how do you know that I'm not just a distraction used to drive you mad?"

The boy froze. He blinked, and the blood-red Sharingan disappeared, replaced by a cold and calculating obsidian. It was a long time before he spoke.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to understand the important fact that _this_—" the Voice paused for a bit to indicate the room "—is not an illusion. _This_ is reality."

There was a brief moment when Sasuke considered the possibility. It would explain a lot, like the reason he couldn't get out of the "genjutsu."

But that moment passed by quickly.

"I don't need your crap," he stated quite clearly, three shurikens already held flat between his fingers.

The Voice chuckled quietly again. "Now. Before you completely mutilate your apartment, think about this: Before dying in the, ah, _past_, you had desperately wished that you could unmake the decision four years ago, the decision to join Orochimaru in exchange for the promise of power for your revenge." Sasuke almost snarled at that sentence. The invisible man was laughing again. "The important thing is, I have granted you that wish. In exchange, though, you had to give me something. After all, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

Sasuke still did not relax his stance. His eyes predatorily surveyed the area once more. He found nothing. "What can you possibly take anything away from _me_? You cannot even confront me face-to-face. Coward."

"Haven't you noticed it yet? How no one seems to recognize you, the boy who has lived in the village for his whole life? Not the Third Hokage, who you had known before your own teammates." A pause. "Not even Sakura, the girl who you had so bluntly rejected."

"_What do you mean?_"

"What I took away from you, Sasuke, is _your past_."

_Thunk thunk thunk. Crack!_

The three ninja stars aligned themselves onto the splintered doorframe. There was a moment of blissful silence until the Voice once again drifted forward.

"You are no longer recognized as an Uchiha, even with the Sharingan. All of what you did in the past life will be undone and erased. No one will even have the slightest recognition of your name. But you will. You will remember. The pain that you feel is the price.

"Meet them tomorrow. It's the same time, same place. You know what I am talking about, Sasuke."

* * *

**Edited A/N:** The poem that is used after Sasuke "died" is from "Monster," by **Splattered Pages.** Her poems are great. Check them out in my profile. :)


	2. Sasuke vs Sai! The Battle of the Uchihas

**Disclaimer: I no own **_**Naruto**_**!**

**A/N:** I couldn't wait to write this chapter. Big confrontations and stuff. :) This arc will be the Team Seven Arc, which covers from this point on until the Chūnin Exams (the Introductory Arc + Land of Waves Arc).

Thank you anonymous reviewer **merry xmas** for pointing out my mistake last chapter. In the original story, Sasuke first activated his Sharingan in his fight with Haku (it was actually during the Uchiha Massacre, but he forgot), and there are two tomoe on his right eye and one on his left. I forgot about that. Let's just say that he meant three tomoe total, and, since he knew he could use the Sharingan, learned how to activate it early.

* * *

**Part One**

**Team Seven Arc**

* * *

2. Sasuke vs. Sai! The Fight of the Uchihas

What Sasuke woke up to the next day could barely be called "morning". Dawn was thousands of miles away and the moon still shone, pearly white, underneath the dark, dark sky. The reason that Sasuke had chosen to walk down the street when even the roosters were asleep was unbeknownst even to him. He knew that Kakashi would still arrive late at the training grounds. There was no point in going so early.

Perhaps it was because he did not want anyone to see him—to glare or ogle at the Cloud stranger. Or perhaps it was what they did not see. At that thought, the loner on the streets pulled the cuff of his sleeves (a blue shirt, blank and free of any marks or pictures) a little closer. He should've brought a jacket to cover his shirt if it bothered him so.

His eyes took in the scenery of Konoha. Shops of different sizes, selling different items, lined along the alleyways. The trees Konoha was so famous for could be seen dotting the landscapes here and there. The Hokage Mountain and its gigantic head sculptures stood above the houses and overlooked the village. The whole place was shrouded in a slumbering silence.

Peaceful. It had been Itachi's dream to protect the village . . . yet, even though Sasuke understood this, he still felt resentful.

_Not my problem anymore,_ he told himself.

The dark-haired boy swung around a corner and stepped squarely into the "designated area", not a minute late or early from the "designated time"—a habit that all ninjas had caught up on. Sasuke's heart clenched suddenly in his chest. As much as he wanted to, he still could not believe that man's words. But . . . he still wanted to see it for himself.

He walked quietly forward on the hard-packed dirt. His expression—hands in pocket, face cool and expressionless—revealed none of his inner turmoil. There, just a few feet away, Sasuke saw two familiar figures coming to him from opposite directions. In spite of himself, he smirked.

Naruto Uzumaki could easily be defined by the definition "orange": brightly colored, loud, and explosive. Even as a ninja fresh out of the Academy, who should know the value of silence and stealth, Naruto could still be heard from miles away as soon as he opened his mouth.

Sakura Haruno resembled her namesake: pink, girly, feminine. But also as noisy as Naruto if circumstances demanded it. She was, Sasuke had decided some time ago, bipolar to the _extremes_. Sakura had always come to him asking for dates, acting like a typical fangirl. But when Naruto came along, she would turn into, for the lack of a better word, a shrew.

The two other Genins, groaning and yawning, came to an abrupt stop when they saw Sasuke. Sakura smiled warmly, and Naruto peered at him suspiciously.

"Who are you?" Naruto slouched forward and glared. Sasuke thought he smelled garlic. "How come you don't have your hitai-ate on?"

"I don't have one," Sasuke replied simply. This . . . this was Naruto as a Genin, definitely. And apparently, he didn't recognize him either. Sasuke felt a strange plummeting feeling in his stomach. He ignored it.

"WHAT!" screamed the blonde incredulously. "You don't _have one_? How can you call yourself a Leaf ninja if you don't have your forehead protector? It's like . . . the most important thing, _ever _(aside from ramen—but that's different). You can't be a shinobi if you don't have the hitai-ate! That would be like ramen! Except without the soup! Can you imagine that! Just noodles, and _without the salty awesomeness_ . . ." For a minute there, Naruto looked as if he was going to suffocate from the thought. Then he looked at Sasuke again. "Who are you, anyway?" he asked grumpily.

"I don't see how I should answer that," Sasuke said through clenched teeth, suddenly angry at no one in particular.

"Careful with the attitude, mister! You are addressing the next Hokage there!" He puffed his chest out importantly, and glared at Sasuke again, even though there were several inches in their height difference.

Sakura bashed Naruto over the head with her fist and walked forward, over the whimpering blonde. Instinctively, Sasuke took a step back.

"Hello! I'm Haruno Sakura. That idiot over there is Uzumaki Naruto," she said, pointing at said boy over the wailings of "Sakura-chan, that's not faaair!". "I saw you at the marketplace. Sorry for, er, slapping you before. You are Sasuke, right? From Cloud? I saw your name on the card. You must be the fourth person Kakashi-sensei was talking about!"

"Yeah . . . Kakashi . . . Remember the eraser?" said Naruto, who had somehow gotten up from the receiving end of Sakura's Fist. "I bet he isn't much of a ninja if he can't even dodge _that_!"

It was too much. Sasuke couldn't handle it. The nostalgic (and hurt?) was welling up in him already. What had he been thinking? "Just checking the place out"? Sasuke felt like he could beat someone up right then, preferably a training dummy in the colors of pink and orange. The painful images of the two's body being sliced though by the sword—his own sword—flashed through his mind. Sasuke turned and was just about to slip away when a puff of smoke erupted right in front of him.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're finally—" Sakura began, and stopped. In front of them was a pale-faced youth with dark (and flat) hair and the most ridiculous outfit Sasuke had ever seen. She started again, this time her voice was an octave higher. "Sai-kun!"

_Sai-_kun_?_ was Sasuke's first thought, and then _Oh, another idiot._

Black eyes met his. Cold and flat.

That paint boy who had tried to capture him back in Orochimaru's hideout.

Pathetic.

"Sai-kun" smiled at Sasuke, a faker smile if there ever was one.

"I am Uchiha Sai," he said tonelessly. What he did next was something Sasuke had never expected. The boy grabbed a sword from his back and pointed it at Sasuke's throat. Smile still on, he continued, "Now, tell me, what are you doing in our village, _nii-san_?"

* * *

_You and Itachi look nothing alike,_ the tone of the Voice sounded almost insulted.

Great. First he was hearing disembodying voices, now it's inside his mind?

_Shut. Up. Get the fucking hell away from my head._

There were four things that were unbelievably clear to Sasuke's eyes at that time. One was Naruto's confusion (his face held an uncertain smile), Sakura's extremely worried expression (her hand, loosely fisted, was held close to her chin), the point of Sai's sword (the blade, gleaming from the just-rising sun, was annoyingly close) . . . and the red-and-white uchiwa fan strewn onto the back of Sai's shirt.

"_I am Uchiha Sai."_

_I am Uchiha Sai._

_Uchiha Sai._

_Uchiha Sai._

_Uchiha Sai._

_Uchiha . . . _Sai?

_Poof._

"Sorry, guys, a black cat crossed my path and I—" Kakashi put his book down once he realized that no one was paying attention to him. His one visible eye drifted toward the four, landing on the forms of Sai and Sasuke. "Ah. I see you're bonding already."

Sai's eyes never left his face. "This is Itachi, Kakashi-sensei. I'd know that face anywhere."

_What the hell?_ Sasuke thought to himself.

The Voice was glad to answer that question. _Ah. See, Sasuke, this is Sai Uchiha, or just "Sai" in your time. He is, in a sense, your replacement. The lone survivor of the Uchiha Massacre and all that yappings. And he wants revenge on you because he thinks you're Itachi._

_WHAT?_

_Exactly my point! You and Itachi look _nothing_ alike, _the Voice agreed, and paused for a second._ But I do believe the Sharingan doesn't help much either._

Sharingan?

Oh.

Sasuke blinked twice and the red in his eye faded back to black.

Unfortunately, Sai didn't miss it.

"You are Itachi," he said without a change in expression. "And I have you under my mercy. Now you shall die."

That hit Sasuke's ego.

_Die?_ he wanted to snarl at the boy. _Who do you think I am?_

Instead, he sent his fist straight at Sai's face. Just as the very same person was about to cut his throat open.

"Stop."

Kakashi appeared between them, with Sai's katana-holding hand twisted backwards and Sasuke's punch stopped dead with one hand. Naruto and Sakura gasped.

"Sai, this is Sasuke. Sasuke, this is Sai." Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Now, are we all clear on that?"

When neither of them responded, Kakashi tightened his hold on their arms.

"Are we clear on that?" he repeated.

"Yes" came Sai's emotionless reply.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Hn."

_What happened? _Sasuke demanded as he listened to Kakashi explaining the bell test_. He wasn't supposed to be able to block it!_

_Well, let's just say that, as a twelve year old, your reflex is a bit slower than how you had been when you were seventeen,_ came the bored-sounding Voice._ As part of your agreement, any physical growth will go back to that time._

While Sasuke was busy arguing with his Voice, he didn't notice Kakashi's probing gaze that seemed to flicker toward him every few seconds.

Or Sai's blank stares.

Or Naruto's jealous looks, underlined with curiosity.

Or Sakura's torn expression, unable to choose between the two boys.

Nor did he realize that this, in fact, was the start of the exact same test that he had to take four years back, where the true objective was _teamwork_.

Sasuke was too busy imagining the various ways that he could murder Sai and get away with it.

* * *

"Ha!" said Naruto once the older man was done explaining. He put his arms behind his head. "This is too easy! Kakashi-sensei can't even dodge an eraser!"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry," Kakashi replied nonchalantly. "Class clowns are the weakest link and don't pose a threat. They're usually the losers that go back to the Academy after they fail."

Naruto's face turned beet red. The next moment, he grabbed a kunai and charged straight toward the silver-haired Jounin, who—disappeared.

"Easy now," Kakashi said through the dispersing cloud of smoke. "I didn't say start yet."

Sasuke heard Sakura give a small gulp as their instructor appeared once again, behind Naruto.

"But I must say, you came to me with killer intent on that one." He smiled. "I'm starting to like you kids."

The atmosphere became somewhat more intense after that.

"And, Uchiha," he added (Sasuke flinched and then inwardly growled when he realized who was being addressed), "you are a Chuunin. I expect you to be able to handle one of the bells." Sai caught the tinkling bell effortlessly. "Think of it . . . as a C-rank mission; these guys should be about that level. Remember—don't kill them."

Sai turned to smile at Sasuke. The bell jingled between his fingers. "Hai, Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"The time limit's until lunch. Before that, any form of weapons is fair play. And, you can start . . . now."

* * *

Behind a bush, Sasuke peered at the still figure of his opponent. They were in a deeper part of the training grounds, away from the three others.

His replacement? Not likely. That the painter boy wouldn't even last five minutes against him.

Sasuke was just forming the beginnings of a seal when the Voice interrupted him.

_Chidori?_ it asked. _No, I don't think that'll work. With the amount of chakra you have right now, you won't last five seconds awake after the technique, never mind five minutes._

_Shut up._

_It's called logic, Sasuke-sama. You should try it sometime._

_Fine. Just . . . just shut up, okay?_

Sasuke gave an almost in audible sigh and started a new seal.

A second later, a shout could be heard across the forest.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Air, drawn into his lungs, came out as fire. A gigantic sphere of red flames was blown the space in front of him, over twenty feet across, more than enough to kill Sai—

—who disappeared into thin air, leaving a puddle of ink that solidified from Sasuke's jutsu.

A clone.

"Dammit." He cursed to himself for losing track of his target so easily. It was also overwhelming how much of a portion of chakra he had to use for such a simple jutsu. Had he really been that weak? The Voice—however much he wanted to deny—was right. At this state, using the Chidori would be suicidal.

He searched, once again, for the traces of "Uchiha" Sai.

"Are you looking for someone?" came a voice above him.

He twirled around, only to find two kunai flying past his nose and pinning his sandals to the ground. Sasuke looked up and saw Sai flicking a brush across a scroll of some sorts. With one simple hand sign, snakes made of ink began crawling out of the paper.

Sasuke couldn't move, but he could still make hand signs.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Rapid, bullet-like flames were shot at the ink-snakes. Two of the nearest ones vaporized instantly, black droplets of ink splattering on his cheek. Five others that were hit writhed and hissed on the ground before melting into puddles. The ones he missed continued to slither forward.

_Ugh. Snakes,_ he thought in distain. It reminded him of the time he had spent with Orochimaru. Then, another memory resurfaced—the memory of the same emotionless face, older, but equally as blank, in the Snake Sannin's hideout. The other Sai had been talking about his bonds with Naruto, and used the very same technique to try to bind him. If he recalled correctly, it had required a bit more strength than usual when he tried to break away from it. That hadn't been a problem at the time, but both of them had been stronger. He couldn't use the same standards to measure his opponent.

However . . . This boy, he was a long-distance fighter. He probably relied more on his ink monsters than genjutsu or taijutsu. Sasuke had never really bothered with the casting of genjutsu, and it was out of question without his Mangekyou Sharingan. So that left . . .

As the horde of snakes came closer and closer around him, Sasuke drew three shurikens from his pouch and hurled it at Sai. It was blocked easily by a summoned ink bird, but the moment of broken eye contact gave Sasuke the time to break free from the kunai lodged in his shoes. The ink creatures in the clearing lunged forward, only to find an old wooden log in place of their target. Sasuke had hidden safely out of sight in the branches of another tree.

Through the leaves, Sasuke saw Sai dispelling the snakes into the inanimate puddles of ink. The technique must cost chakra to maintain too. Sasuke could use that to his advantage.

The painter boy leapt down from the tree to inspect the wooden log, probably hoping to track Sasuke through the replacement. Sasuke smirked. This was his chance to show how _he_ was different from the others, and, of course, how much stronger he was then that _impersonator_. Sasyje activated his Sharingan. From his pouch he retrieved at kunai, and dove for Sai.

The kunai's sharp blade cut directly through Sai's waist. A shocked expression flitted across Sai's face until the two "pieces" liquefied and melted into ink.

Sasuke swore.

"Shinobi lesson number one," the boy's voice came from behind him. _Clang!_ Sasuke turned and found his kunai blocked by Sai's own. "Taijutsu."

Sai, with the upper hand in surprise, ducked down and gave a quick trip-kick. Sasuke flash stepped to the right and delivered an uppercut. His opponent ducked and rolled forward with his feet aiming for Sasuke's face. From the momentum of his previous attack, Sasuke managed to jump over his attacker. However, it was a moment too late. He heard the faint tinkling of the bell before Sai caught his foot. He landed gracelessly on the ground.

Sasuke immediately rolled to his side to avoid the rainstorm of kunai and shuriken hurled toward him. They missed him by half an inch. As he tried to dive for cover, a shadow loomed over him. Running out of time, he plucked one of Sai's discarded weapons and turned to parry the attack.

Their kunai met with another metallic clash. Sasuke was on the ground, in a defensive crouch but nevertheless a disadvantageous position. Sai pressed against the kunai with all his body weight. Sasuke could barely hold on.

Around them, the wind blew—a soft breeze. Sai tilted his head sideways to avoid the dust in his eye. In that one small movement, Sasuke saw something that made his heart freeze.

There, on the boy's neck, were three black commas.

The Cursed Seal.

He looked up and saw Sai's eyes staring back. Quickly, Sasuke grabbed three shuriken. That caught Sai off guard. Having been freed from his grip, Sasuke sprang to his feet and flipped backwards. Landing several yards away, he hurriedly threw his kunai. Sai, too, threw his weapon and both of them bounced off in midair, but it left his foe defenseless. Sensing an opening, Sasuke made several rapid hand signs before another fireball appeared in the clearing.

When the flames died, Sasuke wiped the sweat off his brow and glanced downward. Sai did not escape this time. His opponent's figure, charred and broken, rested before him.

* * *

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Kai!" he shouted. The illusion was dispersed immediately and reality came flooding back. A second later, he sprung into the air to avoid the katana at his throat.

"Shinobi lesson number two: Genjutsu."

Sai stood in front of him, sword drawn and not a hair out of place. That only served to infuriate Sasuke even more. He stepped forward in the ink-stained forest ground and sneered at Sai.

"Attack me!" he shouted. Then smirked. "Or are you too afraid?"

"Who are you?" came his monotone. "You possess the Sharingan, yet you certainly are not an Uchiha. We are never this weak."

If looks could kill, Sai would probably be blasted into a thousand pieces right then.

Ignoring all caution (and the Voice in his head), Sasuke started the seals for Chidori. Before he could finish, however, Sai spoke once more.

"Shinobi lesson three." He gave him a huge, fake smile that would've made babies cry. "Ninjutsu."

There was the noise of a splash and, a second later, Sasuke's world was enveloped in black. Without his vision, he was unprepared for the attack that followed.

He felt a dull pain on the back of his neck before fading into unconsciousness.

_Nice going there, Sasuke-sama_, the Voice said sarcastically.

_SHUT UP!_

* * *

Sasuke was dropped onto the ground with a thud.

He heard the squeals of "Sai-kun!" before the ink snakes around his eyes, hands, and feet released him.

After Sai disappeared into a puff of smoke, Sakura, seeming to finally have noticed him, went over and said, in a tentative voice, "You too?"

Sasuke gave a noncommittal grunt, rubbing his wrists. Inwardly though, he was seething. Him, not an Uchiha? He was more of an Uchiha than Sai would ever be! And . . . the Curse Mark . . . Sai already gained the Curse Mark from Orochimaru, it seemed. Kakashi had said that he was already a Chunin. Did that mean . . .

His angry thoughts were interrupted by Naruto, who was whining. He glanced up and saw, to his amusement, Naruto tied up against the wooden pole.

The position was clearly uncomfortable. When the blonde saw Sasuke looking, he glared. If Naruto could raise his fist, he would have. "What are you looking at, Sasuke Just-As-Much-of-a-Bastard-as-Sai?"

And this was Konoha's savior?

"He got caught by Kakashi-sensei when he tried to steal the lunchboxes," Sakura explained. She then turned to Naruto, her fist at the ready. "And what did you say about Sai?"

Five minutes into their argument, Naruto suddenly yelled, "AHH! Where is that Kakashi? These ropes are too tight and I _can't feel my fingers_!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Naruto, your fingers are perfectly—oh my gosh it's turning blue!"

"EXACTLY! This thing hurts like shit!" He struggled against the binds around his shoulders. It only made things worse. "God, WHERE IS HE?"

"We have to cut the ropes," Sasuke said quietly.

"But, Kakashi-sensei will be mad! He told me—" She shook her head and put on a determined look. "Alright."

Sakura took out a kunai and, with one single, decisive stroke, sliced through the ropes, freeing Naruto.

At that very instant, thunderclouds began to gather overhead. Kakashi teleported into the clearing with Sai at his side, his face murderous. The three Genins cowered beneath his glare. He looked over at the three.

"I had specifically told you—"

"Yes, you told me!" Sakura snapped suddenly. She stood up in front of the Jonin, her face equally murderous. "But you know what? Naruto's fingers were turning blue, and it was your fault! If we hadn't freed him, he would have to cut his fingers off! Naruto is my teammate and, even though he's irritating and loud-mouthed, does not deserve to lose fingers just because some lazy pervert of a Jonin was late! Are you such a horrible teacher that you would hurt your own students?"

"You passed," Kakashi said after a moment of stunned silence.

"WHAT?" Naruto picked himself off the ground.

"Huh?" Sakura blinked a few times. She seemed absolutely astonished that, after her outburst, Kakashi would still allow them to pass.

"You passed," Kakashi repeated quite cheerfully. "The point of the test itself is to see if you understood the meaning of teamwork. Had you worked together from the start, you might've been able to defeat Sai and I. Separately, of course. But—" At this his tone turned reprimanding. "—because of Naruto's attempt of doing everything himself, Sakura's refusal to work with Naruto, and Sasuke's obsession with beating Sai, that was not accomplished. However, you managed to become the first students I'd ever passed. Congratulations."

Sasuke wasn't listening, but glared at Sai—or rather, the Uchiha symbol on his back. This boy had beaten him. This fraud had bested him in his abilities. Why? How was this even possible?

_Are we sensing some jealousy here?_

_Don't be ridiculous._

_I'm not. Remember, Sasuke. I've taken away your past. The pain that you will feel is the price. I am merely here to see to the payment._

_Well then, you're out of luck. What you're suggesting is ridiculous. Get the hell away from my head._

Sai saw Sasuke staring at him and gave a smile. Sasuke glared harder.

The tension between the two was so thick it was suffocating.

"Oi! I know!" Naruto suddenly said. "We should go out for ramen!"

Sakura peered at him suspiciously. "'We' as in who? You're not trying to ask me for another date, are you?"

Kakashi, however, seemed to like that idea. "I agree with Naruto. Now that we're a team, we need to know each other better." He smiled. "What better way to do it than share a meal together? We haven't introduced ourselves properly yet."

* * *

"So," Naruto said as he slurped up a mouthful of his favorite miso ramen (with pork fillets, of course). "What do we have to say in this 'introduction'?"

The five of them were sitting in the small shop of Ichiraku's. Naruto was slurping ramen. Sakura was sidling next to Sai "discreetly", who was trying to ignore his teammate. Somehow, by the freak of nature, Sasuke was assigned to be seated between Sakura and Naruto. A bowl of seafood ramen (untouched) sat in front of him, steam rising up his face.

"Oh, you know. Likes, dislikes, interests, goals, so on and so forth," the Jounin said, flipping through a page of _Icha Icha Paradise_, his bowl already empty. Sasuke suspected that he only approved of Naruto's decision for ramen to avoid paying.

"I like ramen!" Naruto told his teacher proudly. "And I'm going to become the Hokage someday!"

"Hokage?" Sai suddenly said from the corner. "I'm afraid that's impossible for someone like you, dickless."

Kakashi's smile grew strained. "Now, now, children—"

"Why'd you say!"

Fake smile. "You are a dead-last and that is what you'll ever be. Your dream of becoming the Hokage is childish and foolish."

Sakura looked torn. Sasuke guessed that, after her defending Naruto, she didn't "dislike" Naruto as much as before. He, however, had no trouble choosing his side.

"What makes you think your dream is more realistic than his?"

The other three grew quiet in surprise of Sasuke's defense for Naruto. Even Sai dropped his smile.

"Because," His voice was once again monotone "unlike his, mine will come true. It is a definite reality." He paused. "My goal is . . . to kill a certain someone."

_Itachi, _he thought automatically._ So the Uchiha Massacre had happened after all._

_Yes. _The Voice sounded almost sympathetic._ This child has stepped on the same path as you, Sasuke. Revenge is consuming him already._

_Will . . . will he betray the village too? He already has the Cursed Seal._

_My, my, Sasuke, are you actually caring?_

_You didn't answer my question, _he snapped back.

The Voice gave a small, mirthless laugh._ Only time can tell. What do you think yourself?_

Sasuke looked down from his laced fingers. He remembered something—a memory, from not a long time ago.

"_I have long since closed my eyes . . ._

"_My only goal is in the darkness."_

* * *

**A/N:** Meh. Short action scene. Hurray for the long chapter!

The reason why Sasuke lost is simple: 1) He can't use the Chidori. 2) He doesn't have the curse mark. 3) He isn't as strong. 4) He is still cocky, arrogant, and slightly deranged. So basically, the Sasuke right now is just the same as how he had been when he was younger (physically), plus sixteen years of memories.

And on the subject of Sai. He is a completely different person from Sasuke, and so he has completely different personalities. Sai is a Chunin already because he isn't as arrogant. The formula for a SNU (haha—snu) Sai is: No emotion + fake smile + occasional murderous intent caused by the Uchiha Massacre. Sai did not become "brooding" like Sasuke did because, well, everyone has their own way of coping with their emotions. And I guess this is just how Sai is.

The quote about darkness is probably one of my favorite Naruto quotes in all of the manga. Don't ask me why, I don't know either. But it marked a turning point that meant Sasuke truly was evil. Even Sakura and Kakashi gave up on him after that.


	3. To the Land Of Waves!

**Disclaimer: If I owned **_**Naruto**_**, Sasuke would not turn evil and join the Dark Side like how he did in the story; Sakura would. Just because it'd be so awesome that way. :)**

**A/N:** Lesson learned: Never, ever update on Christmas. :P

This story, now officially abbreviated as SNU, will stick very close to the original anime (anime because that was how I started _Naruto_ before transferring to manga) plotline, with definite variations. I'm a bit worried right now that the variations won't be enough to keep you guys interested. But, let me tell you, I'm just dying to get to the part where Sasuke/Sai (pick one) leaves. Haha. Sakura's "love" confession is the reason for this story.

On another note, has anyone noticed that the summary was changed about two times already? At first, it was a basic summary of the story, then it was a "poem", now a quote. I actually hate quote summaries (they are normally cryptic and tells little of the story), but the other two were so . . . unsatisfactory.

And, on yet another note—I think I found a plothole in the manga. For the ones that has been following it, **SPOILER!** you know how Itachi came back to life with the Impure World Resurrection technique? And Orochimaru is about to be summoned too. However, both of those characters had left chakra sealed in another person (Itachi: Naruto, Orochimaru: various Cursed Seals). Techinically, they shouldn't be able to come back, but Itachi did anyway. _Did Kishimoto make a mistake?_ (Anyone tell me their theories?) **SPOILER ENDS!**

So! Anyway, on to the story we go!

* * *

3. To the Land of Waves! (A Different Story?)

"AH!" Sakura let out a frustrated scream. "_Where is Kakashi-sensei?_"

The Third sighed from behind the desk, obviously exasperated but didn't want to show it.

Sasuke was leaning against the wall. Naruto sat on the ground. Sakura was staring at the clock. Only Sai managed to still be standing straight for the past hours.

The dark-haired Genin was very annoyed. He remembered how Kakashi always took forever to arrive whenever they had a mission, but he never expected him to take—he glanced at the clock—two and a half hours now. Sasuke was just toying with the idea of simply killing Naruto to stop his whining . . . when a puff of smoke announced Kakashi's arrival.

"Sorry, there was this old lady who—"

"LIAR!" Sakura and Naruto screamed at the same time.

Kakashi sweat-dropped. Sai smiled. Sasuke glared.

This was a basic routine of what had happened in the last few weeks. Before the start of a mission, Kakashi would be late for the longest time while the four of them waited in the Hokage's office. People would come and go, mostly other shinobi arriving at the Hokage's office to receive their own mission. At first, Sasuke would be introduced to some of the Rookie Nine, most of the time by Sakura (who still seemed a little guilty for punching him), and sometimes an occasional Naruto (who would throw in a sniggering remark, only to become the laughingstock once again when Sasuke rebutted). He was greeted hesitantly. People were intimidated by his cold demeanor, much like how it had been in the other life. But . . . in truth, he was easily irritated at the time because no one recognized him. Not Shikamaru, who had been the leader of his retrieval team. Not Kiba, who had always put in some snide comment or another when they were Gennin. Not Ino, the girl who had fawned over him for so long. Not even Iruka, who had been his Academy teacher. Sasuke didn't like to be ignored. It was annoying . . . and irritating . . . and . . .

_Painful to acknowledge the fact that you're no longer part of them,_ the Voice remarked.

_Shut up._

Then there was the mission itself. All of them, he knew, were D-ranked missions. The closest one that had came to a C-rank was when they had to clean a river near a waterfall. Naruto had almost fell down the stream, but, before Sasuke could even move (there was that brief moment when some unknown force gripped him; he refused to admit it was terror), Sai had pinned Naruto's shirt onto a tree with a kunai. Kakashi later noted on Sai's quick thinking. Sakura squealed and hugged Sai (or, tried to) while glaring at Naruto and Sasuke.

The only good thing about the missions was that sometimes Sai, as a Chunin, would be exempted from the missions.

And there was Sai. Sasuke transferred his glare toward the "Uchiha", his eyes landing particularly on the uchiwa fan behind Sai's short, belly button-showing shirt. A sneer formed unconsciously on his lips. There was no doubt that Sasuke disliked this boy. Perhaps not as much as he hated Madara, but he came in second. One day, he would beat the boy, his replacement, and show them that he, the original, was the superior.

There was no way this "Sai" was stronger than him.

The Sandaime sighed. Sasuke thought he heard him say something like "Let's just get this over with".

"So here," the Kage said, holding up a piece of paper. Evidence one that this was going to be another D-rank again. Scrolls were generally used for the more official missions.

Apparently, Naruto knew this too.

"What? You're giving us _another_ D-ranked mission?"

Sakura punched him over the head. "Shut up, Naruto! You know every mission is important!"

"But Sakura-chan!" he whined.

Sasuke pinched his nose and stuck his hands in his pocket. His fingers touched something cool and metallic—his forehead protector.

He had received his hitai-ite after the bell test from Kakashi. He had stood there, fingering the Leaf symbol, not sure how to react. Was he supposed to cheer with joy and happiness? Thank Kakashi and the Third for all their kindness and acceptance? Tie it around his forehead like the proud Leaf ninja they expected? His sensei didn't say anything, just looked at him, observantly almost, like this was the behavior he had expected. Sasuke understood that, if he wanted to beat Sai, he would first have to train hard to up his stamina for Chidori and other techniques. To do that, he would have to stay in the village.

But the very idea of wearing Konoha's symbol irked him somehow, even though he knew that it didn't matter anymore. Sure, the lost of his Uchiha status angered him greatly at first, especially to _that guy_, of all people. Then, however, it was a strange kind of relief. It was like a huge weight he had never noticed was lifted from his shoulders. A strange sort of detachment. Avenging his clan—it was no longer _his_ goal, but the Sai kid's. He would just be Sasuke, the weird boy from Cloud—

_Ugh! What am I even thinking?_

_It's quite simple, really—you are twelve. Purer, less evil, less deranged. It's called "character development"._

_The time I'm spending around Naruto! It's is messing with my head! This is your doing._

_Blaming it on others—also a trait of a child's. Not that you hadn't done it before._

_SHUT UP!_

_You need better vocabulary._

"I'm a capable ninja," Sasuke heard his blond teammate exclaim, "and I can do harder missions! There is nothing exciting about catching an old lady's cat!"

The Sandaime was slightly peeved. "Naruto, you do realize that I cannot assign you, who is a Gennin, too hard of a mission?" He then adopted a thoughtful expression. "Hm . . . but perhaps I should give you a . . . more advanced mission. Your reports have been good enough, but . . ." He hesitated, but made a mistake by looking at Naruto's hopeful puppy-eye expression. The Third sighed in defeat. "Alright. I will give you a C-rank mission." He coughed into his fist as Naruto cheered. "An escort mission. Please come in now, Tazuna-san."

The stoic boy dropped his uncaring façade suddenly. _Tazuna . . ._ The name struck a chord. An image of an old man with a bottle of beer appeared in his head.

The image was made to reality as the door was kicked open by the very same person.

"You're mission is to escort this man to the Land of Waves and oversee that his bridge construction project."

Sasuke's eyes widen in recognition. He quickly sneaked a look at the other four.

They did not seem the least bit shocked or alarmed. Naruto was yelling at the man about something that he said. Sakura looked delighted that she got to spend more time with Sai and squealed. Kakshi's head was once more buried in his book. They were oblivious to what was going to happen.

The killing. The blood. The deaths. The reality.

_Are you going to tell them about this mission?_ the Voice asked.

Sasuke's mind drifted to the boy Inari, and the unknown hero Kaiza. Both of them had strived so hard to protect their home land. Sasuke decided right then that they did not deserve the torment. They did not deserve a tyrant like Gato, the cruel businessman. If he were to tell Kakashi right then about the truth of this "C-rank" mission, they would never receive the justice they'd yearned for.

_No._

_Are you not worried of your teammates' safety?_ He was curious.

The twelve year old looked over at the scene in front of him. There were Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura, all of them, safe and together. Not hurt, not dead. Safe.

_I will protect them._

The Voice did not speak for some time after that.

* * *

When Life gives you lemons, grind them in a bucket, add some ice and sugar, and make lemonade.

So, if said Life gives you a loud, obnoxious blonde who won't shut up about ramen and Hokages, what do you do? Grind him in the bucket, add sugar and ice, and make dobe-juice?

This was the dilemma Sasuke faced while Team 7 ambled down the road to Waves.

"This thing's gonna be a cinch! The old man's going to be so impressed he'll be _begging_ to send us another mission next time . . ."

The sky was blue and cloudless—it hadn't rained for days. Yet Sasuke felt strangely anxious, like he was forgetting something, even though he knew for a fact that they wouldn't be meeting Zabuza until later in the mission. The uneasiness grew when he felt stares on the back of his neck. Someone was watching them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kakashi tense slightly, and then relaxing again. His sensei saw him looking and gave a small wave. False alarm?

"Sharingan." Sasuke scanned his surroundings. Nothing. There was no one in their vicinity, in the skies or above ground. When he deactivated his Sharingan, Sasuke tried to relax his muscles—being too twitchy is never a good thing. Of course, Naruto's yammerings weren't exactly helpful on his nerves.

Their client, Tazuna, was talking now. He took a swig out of his sake bottle. "Kid," he said, serving to the left unstably to avoid a puddle along the road, "do they teach you back at that ninja school to be qui—"

Two ninjas cladded in strange billowing rags seemingly risen out into the air. He heard Tazuna give an odd choked gasp, along with Naruto's yells of "Kakashi-sensei!"

Sasuke turned around only to see the two ninjas wrap their chains around a surprised Kakashi. His lone eye dilated in surprise.

It was a gruesome sight. With one pull, their sensei was torn into a million pieces.

"First one," one of them said.

Sasuke something inside clench. His breath hitched and his heart stopped.

"Dammit!"

He couldn't remember this part of the mission. Was this a variation?

_Voice, I demand you to tell me. What is happening?_

_I've suppressed your memory. You're on your own now._

_What? What the hell are you talking about!_

Nothing. Sasuke cursed again.

First and foremost . . . their client!

"Naruto! Sakura! Protect Tazuna!" he shouted at the two still figures. Kakashi . . . could he be . . . ? No! There was no time to think!

The two nodded, and hurriedly gathered around the old man in defensive positions, kunai in hand. Naruto looked . . . frozen, but for once he wasn't questioning him.

Damn it all . . . where was that Sai?

"Sai-kun!" Sakura screamed.

The self-proclaimed Uchiha was pinned down by one of the Mist ninjas. His sharp claws were just inches away from his face, while the other one came closer and closer to their client . . .

Their chains.

Sasuke grabbed a shuriken and threw it through the links of the chains. His aim was flawless. The chains were nailed against a nearby tree. A kunai speared the shuriken through, burying it in several inches more. His muscles seem to remember what he was doing. The boy jumped up and onto the two assassins' back, stepping onto their heads.

The chains broke, one of them whipped across him. Sasuke sprang off the men to avoid getting slashed in half.

Snakes of ink slid across the ground and began curling themselves up around the ambushers. Sasuke heard a small gasp of pain behind the masks before their bodies went limp.

The danger was over; Sai's creatures were near unbreakable. Sasuke felt his heartbeat slow, and forced himself to look at what was left of his teacher.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto suddenly shouted.

Sasuke blinked. There was the white-haired Jounin, not a scratch on his face. He rubbed the back of his head in an embarrassed sort of way. Just beside him was the pile of logs used for the Replacement Jutsu.

"You had us all worried back there!" It was Sakura this time. She was angry that Kakashi faked his death.

"Sorry," their sensei said. He put his hand down and surveyed his four students. "But you handled the situation pretty well, didn't you?" There was a glint of pride in his eyes.

Naruto smiled sheepishly like he was trying not to be too proud. Sakura blushed slightly. Sasuke turned his head from all of them to hide his strange feeling of relief from showing on his face.

Only one person did not react to this at all. Unseen by the others, the boy named Sai merely watched this exchange, hands resting on the spot where the nails almost grazed his cheek, eyes staring blankly without a hint of emotion.

* * *

"Sasuke, you're hurt!"

From her bag Sakura took out her first aid kit and walked toward him. Only then Sasuke realized that there was a gash along his arm, four inches wide. It wasn't poison, thankfully—he had made sure that the Demon Brothers' claws were nowhere near him. One of the chains had gotten him after all.

"Here," Sakura said, "hold out your arm." She began bandaging the wound.

He watched as the gash was wrapped up clean within seconds.

"Thank you," he said absentmindedly. "You should become a medic-nin."

She blushed at the compliment but looked surprised. "Well," she said thoughtfully, "I'm not really that good. It's only bandaging, after all. Never thought about it before . . ."

"Hey, Sakura-chan! I'm hurt too! How come you didn't help me?" complained Naruto, holding up hand.

Sakura instantly switched to murderer-mode. "No, you are not, Naruto!" She flipped his hand over. "SEE? There's nothing!"

The blonde looked astonished. "Eh? But I could've sworn there was a cut here!"

"There are better ways of gaining my attention than faking an injury. Sai-kun never did that . . ."

Sasuke caught Kakashi's eyes training on Naruto. The cut . . . it must've been healed by the Nine-Tailed Fox. Naruto's secret reservoir of power . . . the one that he had been so envious of in his youth . . .

While Sakura and Naruto argued about the existence of the mysterious cut (actually, Sakura did all the shouting while Naruto cowered underneath her fist), Kakashi walked over to the dark-haired boy from his "talk" with Tazuna. The master bridge builder looked from worried to a point of fear. He was terrified, not because he was attacked, but because they were going to cancel the mission. Without the ninjas' protection, the man could do nothing more but watch Gato swallow the Land of Waves in his corruption.

_Why did you suppress my memory?_ he asked angrily in his head, suddenly remembering what the Voice had said earlier in the fight. _You knew the Demon Brothers were coming._

_If I hadn't, you would simply have waited until Kakashi showed up—or hesitate, because you know what will happen. By then, Sai would be dead. _The boy said nothing. _Sasuke, you have travelled back in time into the alternate universe, the real world now, but . . . that doesn't mean your friends can't die. I cannot guarantee that._

_. . . I know._

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, Naruto," their mentor said, "but I'm afraid we have to head back to the village."

"WHAT!"

"Why, Kakashi-sensei . . . ?"

The one visible eye rolled over to the bridge maker. Tazuna cringed underneath his stare. Even without shinobi training, you could tell that he was guilty.

"Our mission," he began, "is to escort our client to the Land of the Waves and through the construction of a bridge. In a C-rank mission like this, we are supposed to protect our charge from gangs and robbers. Only. If I wanted to, I would've finished these guys off in seconds. But I needed to know whether they were after us, a Leaf ninja team, or our client." He flipped open the book and turned a page. "But, as you can see, these two ninjas have clearly chosen to target _you_, Tazuna-san. When enemy shinobi are in the equation, it becomes an expensive A-rank mission, which is completely out of our league."

Tazuna was visibly trembling now.

"Why is it that these shinobi should pursue an average bridge builder?"

The four twelve year olds turned to stare at their client, four pairs of eyes ranging from curiosity to confusion. Tazuna looked away from all of them, his eyes darting around the ground.

The old man sighed. When Tazuna spoke, his voice quivered slightly. "The Land of Waves is not a big country. Our main economy has always come from fishing. Because of our small population and influence, the other shinobi nations have always managed to leave us alone, as we do not have a hidden village of our own. We weren't rich, but we were happy. Days go by and people still smiled back then.

"And, about three years ago, a wealthy business man named Gato arrived at our home. At first, we let him, glad to see him, thinking that Gato would bring jobs and more customers to the country. But soon, he seized the trades and gained an enormous profit at the peoples' expense. People became hungrier and poorer as the days passed.

"At first we tried to rebel," his face darkened and he turned away "but . . . it didn't work. Gato hires ninjas, the ones that had betrayed their village, to do his dirty work. The islanders started to lose hope. We have little will to fight back. The only way to revive our economy is to regulate trade between the Fire Country . . . through a bridge."

Kakashi put his chin between his thumb and index fingers: a thoughtful expression. "So that's why they are after you."

"Give us one reason why we shouldn't turn back right now," Sai said impassively.

The man paled. "My family depends—"

"Bastard! These people need help!"

"If we head back now," Sasuke stated quietly, more as a fact than sentimentally, "there would be no one left to help him. He'll die."

Sakura looked at the man uncertainly. "There are people who need us . . ."

Kakashi was quiet for a moment, surveying his four students again. He seemed to be pondering about the dangers of the mission. Sasuke knew he had a point in worrying. Memories of what had almost happened last time flashed through his head. But this time, he knew what he was facing, and, right now, abandoning this man was just like running away. He couldn't stand it.

So when Kakashi's eyes drifted toward him, he stared back with much defiance. Message sent: Like _hell_ he was turning away from a challenge.

His sensei seemed to find his reaction amusing. His lone eye crinkled into a smile.

"Alright then," he said, "we'll pursue this mission."

After all, what had they to be afraid of? They had two Sharingan users, a Leaf-Chunin, and a Jinchuuriki. Four powerful ninjas against one missing-nin. What could go wrong?

_

* * *

_

Damn it

.

Sasuke ran toward the man Zabuza Momochi, eyes blood-red and hands moving in a blur.

_To your left._

He jumped. The Zanbato passed harmlessly below and disappeared through the fog once more. Sasuke immediately shot three kunai at the missing-nin—

—which promptly burst into water.

He focused his chakra into his feet and leapt into the air once more, barely avoiding the crashing Water Dragon Bullet. Kakashi and Zabuza must be fighting now.

_I don't need your help_, he stubbornly told the Voice.

_Says the boy who almost got skewered by a giant sword._

He was completely separated from the others with no knowledge of their whereabouts. The last time he saw them, they had been shielding Tazuna in the Manji Formation. However, when Zabuza appeared, Sai had left the formation to pursue him. They were then scattered through the mist, lost in the foreign terrain.

His Sharingan was useless in this zero visibility; he could barely see a foot in front of him, much less copy his enemy's techniques. Hurling weapons would end up hurting his teammates. A giant ball of flames would probably get him the same results. The worst thing was, if they attempted to shout out each others' name, their locations would be immediately revealed. At least Naruto had the sense to shut up in this situation.

Sounds of metal against metal resonated through the mist, but it was almost impossible to pinpoint their location. It's like running around blind while trying to look for something: you can't find it unless it hits you. That was something Sasuke intended not to do.

His breath came hard, his heart pounded. Sasuke couldn't even remember the last time he had felt this way. Not exactly fear, more like . . . exhilaration. He felt _alive_. For once, he was fighting for someone else's sake, and not his own revenge.

_Focus,_ the Voice warned him. _Do not lose yourself to the adrenaline._

But . . . did that mean he had been dead before?

A kunai whizzed pass his ear. It was impossible to tell whether it had been Kakashi's or Zabuza's.

Clang!

Another came in his direction. Sasuke wasn't so lucky this time. The sharp edge grazed into his cheek, drawing blood. He took a step back reflexively. Gingerly, he reached up to touch the cut. It wasn't deep, not for a ninja, but it still stung somewhat. But, if this continued, there would be a problem.

_The mist_, he realized. The mist was the cause of everything. If the mist hadn't been there, their attacks would be much more fluent. If the mist hadn't been there, he and Kakashi would be able to use the Sharingan. With that in mind, he shouted, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Red-hot flames formed at the base of his throat and out into the cold air, the comfortable heat lapped against his skin. He tilted his head upwards. Sasuke watched as the fog cleared around him slowly, showing the green in leaves and the blue in the sky. But—it wasn't enough to stop the mist technique entirely. He had only cleared about a three-yard radius, not nearly enough, and leaving him dangerously exposed to any attack. The worst thing was, that technique cause chakra. A lot of chakra, in his physical state.

His thoughts were cut short by a scream.

It was Sakura.

When he found Sakura, Sasuke was greeted by a volley of shurikens. He dodged.

"Sasuke!" Sakura said in relief. The weapons had been hers.

The kunoichi was not the only one there. Two other figures were around her: Tazuna, who was behind Sakura, and Naruto, who was . . . lying down, unmoving, on the ground.

". . . Naruto?"

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Using his Sharingan, Sasuke immediately processed the trajectory of the huge wall of water. With one gigantic leap, he pushed all three of them out of harm's way.

Hundreds of gallons of water rained behind them. Sasuke thought he saw a cricket being crushed onto the ground from not jumping away quick enough.

He asked the staggering Sakura what happened. She gave him these really frightened eyes—she was scared.

"After we got . . . split up, Sai-kun went to help Kakashi-sensei. But-but . . ."

"Sai got captured?" That would explain his absence. That useless _idiot_. "What happened to Naruto?"

Her voice shook slightly. "N-no. Naruto ran toward the man a-and distracted him. Sai-kun escaped b-but he—"

"_Where is Sai, then?"_

Sakura didn't answer.

"Look out!"

Embarrassing enough for both shinobi, it was Tazuna, the civilian bridge-builder, who had said that. A giant blade appeared, spinning and cutting through the mist. In that few moments slowed down in time, Sasuke saw with perfect clarity, the Zanbato heading straight for Sakura. Zabuza planned on getting rid of the escort.

Sharingan flashing dangerously, Sasuke reached out and slammed Sakura aside—only to take her place as the target of its blade.

The sudden, exploding pain blinded him completely. He staggered, knees weak and trembling. Sasuke barely heard Sakura's gasp of surprise when the Zanbato spun back and knocked him hard on the head.

He leaned forward and coughed up blood. In addition to the (excruciating, agonizing) pain around his abdomen, there was also a ringing around his head. He couldn't think, couldn't plan, much less dodge the enemy's attacks. Sasuke was a sitting duck.

"Sasuke!"

Was that Sakura? Her voice, it was so faint . . .

_I . . . I can't . . ._

_What are you talking about? Get up! Move! Is this the Sasuke who said he wanted to protect his teammates? The Sasuke who swore that he would kill Madara to avenge his clan? When has that Sasuke ever given up?_

_Are you actually . . . encouraging me, Voice?_

With his last bit of energy, the boy spread his feet and held on tight to his kunai in a defensive crouch. Beneath his matted hair, he smirked weakly.

_For once, you actually helped, Voice._

"I have no quarrel with you, Kakashi," he heard Zabuza say. "I'm on a mission."

"And you know very well that we are too. We must protect the client."

_You're welcome, Sasuke._

Something glinted dully in the dim lights. From his peripheral vision, Sasuke caught sight of his hitai-ate peeking out of his pocket. The boy wrapped his hands around the cold metal and pulled it out. The Leaf symbol was clearly visible.

His hands, dirtied with blood, shook as he tied the cloth around his head. This action seemed to give him renewed determination as a new surge of strength from his limbs.

When he lifted his head, his vision cleared of black spots. The pain seemed to lessen.

_The forehead protector symbolizes the bond between the Hidden Leaf and a loyal ninja._

He was bleeding heavily. The cut had been deep.

But really, he had been in worse situations.

_What the missing-nins, the ninjas who betrayed their villages, don't have_. . .

He could see Sakura stare at him in amazement. What a sight he must have been, like a living corpse.

They always seemed to depend on him to save the day, huh?

_. . . are teammates, and a village to protect for . . ._

"Water Style—" he heard Zabuza begin. Sasuke smirked again and formed the rest of the hand signs.

_. . . It is what makes the you now stronger than the you before._

"—Water Dragon Bullet!" they both finished. Sasuke saw Zabuza and Kakashi's head jerk over to his end in surprise.

The force of two water dragon bullets slammed Zabuza against a tree, who only had one to counter it.

The boy slowly sank to the ground, knees giving in from the tremendous weight of his broken body.

Sakura caught him.

Seconds before blacking out, he thought he heard the Voice giving a sigh, both exasperated and amused.

_You have gotten stronger, Sasuke._

**

* * *

**

A/N:

This chapter was . . . worse than what I'd expected. Which can still mean good or bad. Just . . . I fully intend to revise it when this writer's block thing is over.

Iruka wasn't there at the beginning. Hope that's okay. He was pretty much useless on that part so I cut him off.

Sasuke seems to stand in the spotlight for all the heroic rescues here, eh? My point is: Sai is smarter, more in control of his emotions than Sasuke, but when it really matters, only Sasuke is willing to sacrifice himself.

Now, before you click the X-mark on the top of this page . . . I have a question. Lots of the authors reply to their reviewers. I've had some reply to me, too (which, I delete most of the time). So, the question is, do you want me to reply to your reviews? Do you need me to reply to your reviews? (PM me if you don't want to review.)


	4. Dangers of the Cursed Seal of Heaven

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Naruto**_** or any of its characters.**

**A/N:** Wow. Thanks for the reviews, guys! That was the most reviews I've ever received in this story, for one chapter. Every review helps in the contribution of the story! Every feedback the author receives makes the story better~

* * *

4. Dangers of the Cursed Seal of Heaven

"_We've finally caught up with you, Sasuke."_

_The raven-haired teenager stood there, unmoving, back to them. He didn't need to turn around to see who they were, though he was surprised that Naruto kept his silence for so long. Instead of charging straight at him, of course._

"_What do you want?" He was greatly annoyed that they had stopped him on his way. He was about to kill Madara, after all._

_Sakura paused for a moment, carefully chewing her words, before continuing. "Kakashi-sensei . . . you've heard about him, right?"_

"_Yes," came the terse response. "And what does that have to do with me?" He turned away. "You are wasting my time."_

"_BASTARD! Have you gone so deep that you don't even care about your own _sensei_?"_

"_Naruto!" Sakura reprimanded sternly._

_The blonde immediately fell silent. Sasuke secretly wondered what they needed from him that was so important Naruto would shut up._

"_If it isn't the Rokudaime and his healer." Finally, he turned to face them. Naruto glowered and Sakura flinched. "Give me a reason not to leave now."_

"_Please, Sasuke—"_

"_We're not here to beg you to come back, if that's what you're thinking."_

_A sardonic smirk twisted his lips. "Finally given up, haven't you? Finally realized that your goal was futile? Finally realized that I am the enemy?"_

_A determined look set over Naruto's features. "I won't fight you, Sasuke. This is not the time."_

_Sakura cut in. "There's a war going, and we need your help. Sasuke, Join us. We have a common enemy. You know it."_

_He placed a hand on the Kusanagi. "'Join you', I see. And what would I get in return?"_

_He saw her jade eyes harden just a bit, but that was over quickly as she disguised herself once more in an indifferent façade._

"_Your goal," she said, her voice sounding a lot colder than before. "In exchange for your support, Uchiha, you will get to kill the elders. Konoha will provide you the information. They are traitors to the village and should be dealt with accordingly."_

_He was amused. "And who gives you the authority?"_

"_I do," Naruto said simply._

_They stared at each other for a few minutes, blood-red versus cerulean. Finally, Sasuke nodded._

"_Fine." He grabbed the hilt of his sword and turned away. "Just stay away from me."_

_He knew he did not imagine the barest of sighs that came from Sakura, or Naruto's tiny twitches of anger that he could scarcely contain._

_They thought they had gotten him to agree, but that couldn't be further away from the truth._

_Sasuke Uchiha would get his revenge. Alone._

_And he would see Konoha to ashes after that._

_He smirked._

_And his former teammates would be the first to die._

* * *

Sasuke woke up that morning covered with sweat.

It took a moment for him to remember that no, he wasn't in the dark, dank Akatsuki quarters with Madara in Mountain's Graveyard, but nor was he in his apartment in Konoha either. The past day's events flashed through his mind. Glancing around, it took his groggy brain a few seconds to process where he was. The old, discolored door, the gray walls the ceiling on the verge of falling apart, and the stench of sea in his nose . . . this was Tazuna, the old bride-builder's house.

Adrenaline faded, and the dream's horrible aftertaste returned. He put his head in hands as the images of both of their quick, bloody deaths flashed unwillingly through his head. It took quite a while for Sasuke to have his pulse slow and his breathing to ease.

His next reaction was to sit up and get off the bed. He needed fresh air in the woods. But, as soon as he did so, there was a blinding pain around his waist. After gingerly lifting his shirt, Sasuke saw that there were . . . bandages, all around his stomach. The wound wasn't even a day old, judging by the streaks of fresh red that still soaked through the white cloth. Taking in a shuddering breath, he tried to twist his body to get off the bed. Another round of pain erupted like jarring daggers against his flesh. Sasuke gave a pained grunt.

With a _creak_, the door opened. Instinctively, he reached down for a kunai, only to find that he had changed into another's clothes. Sasuke began panicking before he realized that the figure at the doorway was not an enemy, but his teacher, Kakashi Hatake.

"Yo," greeted his sensei, his head still buried in that perverted book of his.

"Kakashi."

"_Kakashi Hatake is dead."_

One eye lifted up from the book and peered at the dark-haired boy. "Sakura stitched your wounds for you. We don't have a medic-nin here, so she was the next best thing. When we go back to Konoha, there will be proper treatment. But for now, this will have to do."

"_Why are you wasting my time on such useless information?"_

No comment.

_A shrug from the Uchiha. "I'd just thought you might want to know."_

"That was quite a blow to your head," Kakashi said.

Of course. Sasuke's fist clenched underneath the covers. He put on his usual, uncaring tone and asked, "Is everyone . . . ?"

"Everyone is alive."

Sasuke told himself that the lift he felt from his heart wasn't relief. For, to have relief, you must also have to worry. Worrying for others' sake was a weakness. What he had done to save Sakura—putting himself at risk like that—was all instinctive. Sort of. Maybe. Possibly.

_Not really_, the Voice said.

Kakashi proceed to sitting on the bed. "Tazuna and his family give you their thanks."

Sasuke turned his head to face the window, crossing his hands in an I-can't-care-less-about-that fashion.

The white-haired Jounin sighed.

"The cut isn't deep, but it is wide." A page was flipped. "Until it is healed, you are not to partake in this mission. A person will be assigned to watch over you." He sat up and exited the room.

At the doorway, Kakashi turned back, and miraculously, closed the book. He looked at Sasuke in the eye and said, "Sasuke, you have done very well there, in the face of danger. All of Team 7 owes you our gratitude."

With a seal, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sasuke was left alone.

With the Voice.

_I'm wounded, Sasuke, by how you think of me,_ it said, sounding hurt.

_I don't ever recall us being on first-name basis, Voice._

_Dear, dear. I thought we were on better terms now that I saved your life. Twice._

_Tch. Who are you, anyway? Why did you appear in front of me before— . . . before—_

_You died?_

_You didn't answer my question._

_Call me your conscience. You want to know who I am? Why? Can't your almighty Sharingan see me?_

Sasuke gave it a mental image of a very severely stabbed training dummy. He imagined it to be the man.

The Voice merely laughed again._ You'd think the kid would hold some respect for his savior._

_You must have used a time-space jutsu, then, _Sasuke said triumphantly._ That means—you're an Uchiha! _His mind automatically linked the Voice with Madara.

The Voice sighed._ You have to learn, Sasuke, that there are a lot of people that are mightier than your clansmen. A lot of things that are even greater than ninjas and their weapons._

_I don't believe in supreme beings._

_You don't _have_ to be a god to be mightier than an Uchiha, _it said dryly._ And need I remind you that, as part of the price, you are no longer an Uchiha either?_

Outwardly, he scowled._ You didn't need to._

_It was a rhetorical question._

"Hello, Sasuke!"

Their pleasant conversation was cut short by a cheery voice. Sasuke, however, wasn't in a Sakura mood, which had normally meant talking in their Genin years, something he still had not grown out of.

He didn't greet her, which didn't seem to surprise the girl much. Sakura came by and sat down at his side, a piece of bread in her hand.

"You're wearing the headband!"

He glared at her. The Voice reminded him that this was no way to thank someone who had saved his life. He told it to shut up.

"So?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Well, I guess you look . . . fitting in it."

A muscle in his cheek twitched, though his teammate was oblivious to it. In truth, the only reason he had worn the headband was so that it wouldn't fall off in that battle. Now he could hardly take it off in front of her. Sakura would just keep on asking questions that he had no wish to answer.

"I was assigned your guard," she informed him, "since I passed the tree-climbing exercise before Naruto! Kakashi-sensei said I had excellent chakra control!"

She paused, looking at him expectantly. He met it with a blank gaze. Did Sakura really expect him to praise her?

"Here," she said after a moment, handing him the bread. She didn't really look too disappointed that he didn't take her success to much notice. "Breakfast. You must be hungry."

"You assume too much."

"But I brought it for you!" She sounded like he would care. A pause. " . . . Actually, it was supposed to be for Sai-kun, but he's with Tazuna-san right now." Her eyes glazed over in a love-struck way. She giggled. "He is so _handsome_ and _strong_. Don't you think so, Sasuke?"

The lack of suffix at the end of his name did not bother him. Neither did the question. So he wasn't going to answer. Wasn't going to answer. Wasn't going to respond. Wasn't going to bash the girl over the head for fawning over such an idiot . . .

"No."

"What?" she asked absentmindedly as she checked her reflection in the window glass.

"No," he repeated, louder this time.

This was probably the first time he had ever bothered to answer her questions. The first thing that registered on her face was shock—that he had actually paid attention. Then came a slight frown: confusion of his answer.

"Why?" Her frown went deeper, and Sakura started to glare at the boy. "Sai-kun is the strongest ninja I know! He's a chuunin already! He even beat you in the bell test!" Sasuke resisted the urge to snort. "_And_ he is from the Uchiha family, one of the strongest clan in the Leaf! He will probably get the Sharingan one day, too!"

"Like this?" His eyes turned red. He smirked. "It seems that I already have mine."

She scrutinized him carefully. Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes.

"You're related to Sai-kun, aren't you?" She ignored her own question and continued, "But . . . the Massacre. Are you like, a distant relative?"

_And why the hell should I answer that?_

Then her brows cleared. "Aha! I know what you're thinking!"

The Voice sniggered. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, daring her to go on.

"You are jealous of Sai-kun because he is better than you!"

Sasuke eyed her coldly. But really, what had he expected? This was Sakura, the shallow fangirl who would as quickly forget a deed as _saving her life_ as Naruto gulp down a bowl of ramen.

"If I remember properly," he said coolly, "your 'Sai-kun' was almost killed in that battle _yesterday_ if Naruto hadn't saved his sorry ass."

She scoffed. "That's only because Sai-kun had to rescue him from Zabuza—"

"—who _I_ defeated while he was busy hiding in the sidelines." He couldn't believe how she changed so fast—hadn't she just been scared shitless the day before?

Her face reddened. "He has a bigger goal to complete!"

_. . . to kill a certain someone._

"Plus, Naruto isn't hurt, right?"

Suddenly, his face was inches in front of Sakura's, who turned into a dozen different shades of pink.

"Sakura, let me tell you something," he said, and watched in amusement as she stumbled back a few feet.

"What?" she snapped, recovering fast.

He snorted and leaned back against the bedpost. "Those who abandon their friends . . . are worse than scum. So, where does that place precious little Sai? Plus, why would he like you?" He shrugged. "The boy is clearly gay."

For one moment, he enjoyed the triumph, watching the flustered Sakura.

Then her fist came down on his face.

* * *

"Man, what did you _do_?" Naruto exclaimed when he saw Sasuke.

It was the day after, yet the bruise still did not fade. Every knuckle of the girl's fist was imprinted beautifully on Sasuke's cheek. He had tried, unsuccessfully, to perform a genjutsu he had seen other Genin girls use before, usually to fool other naïve civilian boys. Even that level of chakra control, however, was beyond his current level. Which was the reason that he came here. In the forest. _With Naruto._

Said boy remained cheerfully ignorant of the murderous waves that rolled off his teammate.

"Normally, she punches me!" he continued gleefully. Distracted, the blonde immediately fell off the tree he had been practicing on. Even a twenty-foot fall couldn't break his curiosity, however, as he continued, "You must have made her pretty mad."

What was this, the Sakura's Victim Club?

Sasuke took in a breath, concentrated chakra on his feet, and ran straight up the tree. After a few steps, however, his feet stuck into the bark so much that he lost his balance and fell, with only a cut to mark his progress. Once on the ground, he looked up and scowled. It was barely five feet up.

"Did you tell her that she was ugly?" his teammate asked, and paused for a moment, thinking. "No, actually, that was what Sai told her on the first day in the Academy, but she didn't get mad. But, this is _Sai-kun_ we're talking about."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

One two three four five six . . . And down he went again. Down the ground, Sasuke wiped a bead of sweat that already worked up his forehead.

The gigantic cut around his waist healed with little progress since yesterday. Technically, he wasn't supposed to be training, since doing so might cause him to bleed to death once the stitches were opened again. But Kakashi was late for his turn to babysit him, so Sasuke sneaked out to the woods, where he knew he could find Naruto. If he was correct, whatever skills his muscles and learned in those four years were forgotten after the time shift. He was right.

"I insulted Sai," Sasuke finally said, knowing Naruto would never stop pestering him about it. With a grunt, he set off to the tree again.

One two three four five six . . . One wrong move. His face contorted with pain. Sasuke jumped off the tree, clutching his side.

"Ohmigod, that's hilarious!" Naruto scrambled over to his side. "What did you say? What did you say? I've got to _know_!" he gushed like a girl.

The forest soon echoed with laughter when Sasuke recounted his words (in irritation and annoyance—Naruto could drive people like Orochimaru mad within _seconds_). His friend seemed to find everything funny. He beated the ground and tears came out of his eyes.

"And then she punched you?" he pressed on, still guffawing. "Oh, this is too good to be true!"

"Don't you have _training_ to do?" Sasuke asked irritably.

Naruto immediately sobered and turned to glare at the other boy. "Well, you're just saying that 'cause you are even worse than me at this!"

"Tch. Like I would ever be beaten by the Dead-Last."

"Bring it on, pretty boy!"

The Voice laughed with Naruto, and Sasuke . . . well, he glared. He turned back to the tree and took one look at it.

And smirked evilly.

"We'll see about that, Dobe."

* * *

"How—" pant "—did you—" pant "—_do_—" pant pant "—that?"

Both boys laid exhausted on the ground, having ran up the tree for more than fifty times the entire afternoon. The sun was already setting, dipping into the trees beyond. Wind that blew on their skin gave the two slight goosebumps. Sasuke looked up and was satisfied to see that his kunai mark was just a bit higher from Naruto's.

He stood up again, ready to charge at the tree once more. "Use the tip Sakura gave you, dobe."

There was the sound of cloth scraping against the ground as Naruto sat up. "I'm not a—Wait, what are you talking about? Sakura-chan never told me anything."

Sasuke turned around, surprised, but didn't show it. "You mean she didn't say anything?" he asked suspiciously.

"No, she was complaining to Kakashi-sensei about why Sai the Oh-So-Great got to escort Tazuna-san while she was stuck with me."

The raven-haired boy was silent for few seconds.

"Don't get distracted while you're molding the chakra. Focus it around your feet."

There came another few seconds while Naruto tested out his advice, then a nice, surprised silence with only feet thumping against bark, and a stunned voice proclaiming, "Hey! It works!".

Sasuke did not comment. He was thinking, watching the cheerful fox-faced boy with such intensity that he flinched.

"Hey . . . Are you alright, bastard? Did I do something wrong?"

Instead of speaking, the boy clutched his stomach (the stitches were still not taken off) and sped up the tree once more.

When he landed on the ground again, he said, "Naruto, I think you should give up on Sakura." Sasuke remembered how Naruto had, in his other life, fallen in love with their teammate as a result of his childhood crush. In the end, Sakura still held on to the hope that he would return . . . And if history repeats . . .

No. Sai would never. He was too much of a goody two-shoes for that.

And, perhaps, it was also because he didn't want to accept the fact that his onii-san would ever love anyone as much as Sasuke, to do what he had done in the past life. Sasuke's throat constricted, and it was the only time that he didn't deny the emotion that flooded through. His nails dug into his palm sharply.

It was pain . . .

Sasuke's thoughts stopped abruptly there. He had been through this with himself yesterday. If there was an Itachi out there, no matter how much he changed in this world as who he had been, Sasuke would find him one day. Besides his duty of protecting his teammates, that was his goal.

The blond looked surprised, whether because Sasuke actually called him by his real name or of his advice. Sasuke scowled. He was beginning to regret his decision. So what if Naruto fell in love with Sakura, and Sakura with Sai? He promised himself to protect them, to do what he had failed previously. Why should he care about their stupid love life?

_Because you think yourself as their friend and don't want them to get hurt._

Sasuke mentally slapped the Voice. It laughed.

_You know that doesn't work._

A mischievous appeared on Naruto's face. "Teme! I know what you're thinking!"

An eyebrow was raised.

"You're scared that I'll get Sakura-chan 'cuz you _love_ her!"

"What are you _talking_ about?"

"Sasuke-teme loves Sakura-chan!" he said in a sing-songy voice and fell down in a (yet another) fit of insane laughter.

Sasuke's eyes flashed red with the Sharingan, which his teammate failed to notice. "What the _hell_ makes you think that?"

"Language, Sasuke," he said, wiping away a tear. "Geez. Sometimes you cuss like a seventeen year-old."

Sasuke made a quiet noise of incredulity and chose to respond by running up the tree again. He thought he heard Naruto yell, "Hey! You're making me laugh too hard! That's cheating, teme!"

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto marched back to Tazuna's house slowly, their feet dragging with exhaustion. For this once, Sasuke would acknowledge their "competition" to be a tie, even if he _knew_ that he had been a few seconds faster to reach the top of the tree. Got to let the dead-last come close sometime.

They were covered head to toe with sweat and dirt. He was looking forward to a nice, long shower. Just before marching into the house, however, the Voice In His Head spoke.

_Stop. Go to your left. I think you might find something interesting._

_This better be good._

The Voice sounded persistent, and Sasuke was too tired to argue what, exactly, was this "something interesting". To Naruto, he made an indication to walk to the other direction. The blonde head bob down a little and Sasuke proceeded through the woods.

He walked for another fifteen minutes or so, feet dragging through the forest ground of dry leaves. A curious noise then caught his attention.

There was the sound of water splashing and paper crinkling. With some of his last energy, Sasuke carefully masked his chakra and approached the sound.

It was Sai. The ninja artist stood alone in the small clearing, a scroll unfurled in front as the tip of his brush went _drip drip drip _on the leafy ground. Sasuke watched, half in delirious entrancement, as Sai brushed a few quick strokes on the paper and shouted out:

"Ninja Arts: Ink Beast Creation!"

A ferocious-looking tiger rose out of the scroll, roaring and clawing its way to the real world. However . . . just as the lower back was about to appear, the beast stilled suddenly. The outline of the tiger, so clear before, began to blur, the ink strokes spreading and fading until the whole animal became an indistinct mess. A failure. The jutsu was unable to hold much longer. With something similar to a whimper, the beast liquefied.

Sai's face showed no emotion throughout the entire ordeal. His face remained just as smooth and free of emotion—or so it seemed.

Sasuke's point of view was, coincidentally, one of the perfect angles to capture what happened next. Some might dismiss the sudden shadow over Sai's face as a trick of the light, but Sasuke knew better. The Seal glowed from that point in the Chuunin's neck and pulsed, as if living. As Sasuke watched, the black marks, much like fire, spread across the boy's face, covering it like a mask. Within a few seconds, all of Sai was swathed in the Cursed Seal.

And he never moved a muscle.

Once more, the boy dipped the calligraphy pen with ink and drew another picture of the tiger. Once more, the boy formed the seals. Once more, he shouted out the jutsu. Once more, the tiger rose out of the paper.

This time, the tiger looked more blood-thirsty than before. Its face was contorted with maliciousness, its claws outstretched and its fang bared. The tiger ran around the boy a few times, before slamming into a tree, knocking it clean down.

With a handsign, it dissolved back into ink.

Sai walked over to the puddle, studying it, as if the inanimate liquid held his immense interest. Then, he looked down at his hand. And smirked.

Sasuke's eyes widened. It was like a wakeup call. The fuddles in his mind disappeared as a primal animally emotion took over: fear.

One step back. Two steps back. Holding the stitches around his stomach, Sasuke turned away from the scene and ran, as fast as he could, back to the man Tazuna's house. The fatigue from training was the last thing on his mind now.

He didn't stop until he reached it.

Open the door. Close the door. Inside the house. Exhale . . . He ignored the questioning looks that his team and Tazuna's family gave him, and immediately ran up to "his room". Once he slammed the door behind, Sasuke flopped onto his bed with his arms above his eyes. He ignored the voices below that whispered, "He's always like that," and "That's just Sasuke," and focused on a specific speck of mold on the ceiling, tuning everything else out. He wouldn't let himself think again about what he had seen in the woods.

He knew Sai had enjoyed it—the power of the Cursed Seal, the taste of strength. That sickening smirk had been proof.

But it sickened him more to know that he had once smirked like that, too.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm really sorry about how long it took for this to get up. Usually, the next chapter, raw, would be done first before this gets published. But, as there are some . . . technical difficulties, I couldn't.

The part about Naruto giving up on Sakura . . . Well, my golden rule for story writing is: "Always think of yourself above the characters." That way, I can let them suffer without feeling guilt. The rule was sort of broken right there. The HinaNaruSakuSasu love . . . loop thing frustrates me to no end. I'm cutting that crush, fast, before it turns into love. Somehow. (I always have the feeling that Sakura's going to end up with Naruto. The authors always reserve the 'best' female character for the protagonists, you know (except for HP, though I like HP and GW fine)? But I really hope for a canon NaruHina. Kishimoto even made her confess and all that. It sucks so much for the girl.) And, while we're still on the subject, no, I don't really think Sai is gay, nor will he be in this story (I don't think Kishimoto will openly say, in the series at least, that any of the characters are gay—it might cause controversy; even J. K. Rowling said that Dumbledore was gay outside the books only, though that might be different). Sasuke was simply insulting dear Saku's 'lover' there.

Again, a big thank you to all of those that reviewed! I really like to hear what you think about SNU, and will try to reply to everyone (except the ones with short reviews; I might now reply to them if there's no time). Anonymous reviewers are encouraged to sign in! I hope I got to everyone last time. Thanks~

Any comments, questions, concerns, flames, please PM if you don't want to review!


	5. Fight of the Bridge

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Naruto**_**. Nor do I profit monetarily from writing Fanfiction.**

**A/N: **Different POVs appear in this chapter. It should be pretty obvious. If not, tell me, and I'll add those name things at the beginning of the section. Thanks.

Happy Valentine's Day, people. Hope you enjoy the chocolate. Love is in the air~

* * *

5. Fight of the Bridge

The bruise on Sasuke's cheek faded away as the week passed.

Kakashi, surprised by their growth, began teaching them the walking-on-water exercise. Sasuke half-suspected that Kakashi had placed the training place so close to the house so that he could sneak out "unnoticeably", as he was given a strict talking-to that day by Sakura. The girl had passed the exercise with obvious ease.

As he stepped onto the water, his clothes already soaked from a failed attempt (they had been up late yesterday, and he wanted to get some training done), Sasuke wondered why Naruto had so much trouble with an exercise that he had mostly-sort of-maybe accomplished. He was far superior (of course) in the realm of chakra control that the dobe, but it didn't explain why Naruto had as much success as he had in the first try seven days ago. His mind drifted toward the red chakra he had seen earlier . . . The Kyuubi. Of course.

The trick was to mold the chakra proportionally on each foot. Too much chakra or too little interferes with the balance. It was also harder with the waves of the sea constantly crashing underneath his feet, but Kakashi told them that if they mastered water-walking, he _just might_ teach them the Jounin level technique of walking on air, but only if every single member of the group succeeded in completing this exercise. Sasuke had scoffed when Naruto expressed his (loud) enthusiasm at the thought of _flying_. What the blonde didn't know, however, was just how chakra-draining and useless that technique would be. Walking in air was really more show than anything.

After that encounter in the woods, Sasuke had launched an argument with the Voice about just why he thought _that_ was interesting. The Voice, he realized, was a sadist. Aside from all the "pain as your price" bullshit, it laughed in his face (figuratively) and asked him if he had enjoyed the "show". When Sasuke retaliated with a few minutes of swear words and jabs at its cowardice, the Voice vanished without a trace.

He had debated within himself during the Voice's absence. To tell Kakashi, or to not tell Kakashi about the Cursed Seal? Telling his sensei was the obvious thing to do, but . . . it would raise questions. Like how he knew about the Seal, and why he was informed of its uses. Eventually, with his cloudy past, they would jump to the conclusion that he was affiliating with Orochimaru. And _then_ he would have to come up with excuses and lies, though it probably would never get rid of their underlying suspicions . . .

Or, he could tell them what really happened.

With that thought, his carefully, carefully maintained chakra broke, and Sasuke plunged into the icy sea.

No. He didn't think so.

When he surfaced again, Sasuke plucked off a piece of seaweed in annoyance as Naruto snickered gleefully at his failure. He supposed Kakashi was a sadist too, making them practice walking-on-water on seawater. Now he would be wet all day with sand and grains of salt in his clothes. Great . . . just great . . .

And that was when it happened.

Out of nowhere, blind, nauseating pain exploded in his skull. It was so much like when the Zanbato had been swung at his head, for a moment there, Sasuke wondered if Zabuza was back to get him. But . . . no. In the midst of all the white (because that was the only thing he could see: white) he saw Naruto shouting, running towards him. What was the dobe _doing_? He looked up and saw the blonde attempting to drag him across the water, on the water, with the little chakra control he could muster. He tried to understand what Naruto was shouting at him, but the pain (excruciating, horrendous, painful _pain_)—it was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Sasuke fought the urge to just bend over and hurl.

After some time (seconds? Minutes? Centuries?), the ax that tried to crack his head open (because truly, that was exactly what it felt like, except a hundred times worse; Sasuke could say so from firsthand experience, just like the time when . . . wait, what?) finally lessened, the invisible blow slowly being lifted away. When the endless pounding of his eardrums stopped, he opened his eyes (they were closed; when, where, he didn't know) and saw . . . sand? Moving sand. Right in front of his eyes. He could even pick out the tiny, individual grains. Like that one, the greenish-tinged one . . . He decided to stop when his eyes crossed.

Then he heard a voice, shouting. It sounded familiar. That was when Sasuke pieced two and two together and got . . .

The sand underneath him ended with stone. Hard pavement. He lifted his head up and saw—

"Naruto!" he yelled.

Hearing his name, the blonde jerked his hand backwards, his arm being the one that had been dragging Sasuke, after all. But it was too late. All Naruto heard was a soft thump and a pained groan. He looked at his teammate quizzically.

"Yush lammyuh genstde shtaresh . . ." Sasuke groaned out, clutching his nose.

"What?"

"You slammed me against the stairs!" he practically yelled out.

_That_ was when Naruto dropped him.

"Okay, okay . . . You alright? That looked pretty nasty. Yeesh! No need to be such a diva." Naruto dodged the handful of sand thrown at him. "I was only trying to get you to Kaka-sensei. Strange, though . . . Haven't seen him all morning . . ." His face fell.

Sasuke, knowing that his best friend had wanted to ask Kakashi about the exercise (he had no idea why the boy's chakra control was so flawed), sighed and said, "Fine . . . I'll help you look for Kakashi."

Suddenly, a scream could be heard, deep within the house. Hesitating only for a moment to give each other a knowing look, the boys ran through the halls and into the living room.

There were two thugs, probably hired by the man named Gato. They were cornering Inari's mother . . . and all that stood between the three was the said boy, bare-handed, with nothing to defend himself at all.

Another scream came from the woman, her eyes wide as she comprehended what Inari was trying to do.

"No, Inari! Stay back or you'll get killed too!"

One of the men laughed. "Trying to defend your mama, are you, brat? Take th—Oof!"

Sasuke appeared in front of the man instantly, holding his fist.

He narrowed his eyes. "Leave."

"Why, you brat—!" His words were cut short as five Narutos appeared behind, giving him a beating to remember.

"Showoff," Sasuke muttered.

"Ninjas!" the other thug spat, poising his club above. "I'll teach you a lesson—"

"ARUUUGH!"

Then the fight came, going something like this: a punch in the guts, a kick in the shins, a foot on the toes, and ending with a saucepan over the thug's head, all courtesy of Inari and his mother.

After the man fell, the house was silent except for the fading sound of the resonating frying pan. Inari looked at Sasuke and Naruto, then at his mother, who gaped back, still holding the pan. Sasuke and Naruto, in return, stared at the saucepan in the woman's hand, both thinking the same thing: Never, never underestimate women again. Simultaneously, they thought of Sakura. And shuddered.

And then Inari's mother did the most natural thing: she grabbed her son and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh my goodness," she said, half-sobbing into his hair. "Oh my goodness oh my goodness oh my goodness. Don't ever, ever, put me through that ever again. Never, do you hear me?"

They saw Inari blink, and started patting her back. "It's okay, Mom. I want to fight, too."

When the two finally let go, the woman turned to Sasuke and Naruto.

"Thank you."

Naruto immediately got red in the face. He rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed sort of way. "No, it was nothing, actually. The men were easy . . ."

She nodded, and smiled. "I know what you want to ask . . . Your sensei, he is with my father right now. They are at the bridge."

They thanked the woman and left immediately. As they jumped through the woods, Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"Hey, bastard . . . You're the genius. Tell me," He hesitated, "why did they want to kidnap her? They know Tazuna-san hired ninjas. No offense, but those two were pathetic."

Sasuke nodded. "They need her for leverage. Tazuna's the master bridge-builder. Without him, the bridge won't continue. If they kidnapped his daughter, or daughter-in-law, he might have no choice but to give up."

"Yeah, but that doesn't tell me why—"

"Our mission objective is to guard Tazuna, not his family. They know that too. She told us that he is at the bridge. Logically, they would assume that Kakashi brought everyone, to offer the best protection possible. They didn't count on us to be there."

Naruto snorted. "Che, yeah. We are _ninja_. We are, like, the best. But," he paused to jump over an oddly bent branch, "that still doesn't make sense. I mean, those aren't the fastest people I've seen. We can catch up to him, easy."

Sasuke squinted his eyes as they got closer to the bridge. "Then that means, they are sure there's something to distract us while we're gone."

* * *

The half-built bridge was already coated by mist by the time they arrived. Very faint clashes of metal and metal could be heard, and Sasuke and Naruto knew that the fight had started.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" Sakura's relieved voice could be heard. Through the mist, they saw two familiar shadows, one of her, the other of Tazuna. Both stood frigidly, watching the fight before them.

Sasuke knew that it was only because of the light sea wind that they could actually see anything at all. Kakashi was pinned against the demon Zabuza, a kunai in each hand, pushing against the giant Zanbato. His Sharingan eye was visible. There were a few rips on his shirt here or there, but otherwise holding his own. Sai, however, was a different story.

In theory, Sai's snakes were made of ink and chakra. Ink, overall, is made of water. Water freezes into ice.

Trapped in what looked like a dozen or so more of ice mirrors, the young prodigy could be seen desperately trying to defend against the masked man. Scrolls, spotted with small or large ink blotches, lay unfolded on the ground, overlapping each other. Other than the scrolls, there were also several black-colored _things_ lying about, often with a few tiny spikes around. Then Sasuke realized that those were all that was left of Sai's famed ink beasts.

Sai himself was at the center of the ruckus, feet scrunching several sheets of paper beneath his feet. A paintbrush was in both of his hands, though they were shaking so much he was at the verge of dropping them. The boy was panting heavily, needles sticking out of his arms, shoulders, back, and legs. There was also a strange, fiery mark at the base of his neck, sometimes expanding and sometimes shrinking, giving Sasuke a weird sense of déjà vu. But Sasuke dismissed it in the heat was what was to happen.

Sai's opponent, the masked man, suddenly jumped out of one of the mirrors. All the other reflections but the original disappeared. Then, with a speed so fast only his Sharingan could track, the man flung a handful of senbons at Sai, before melting into the mirror again.

Sasuke had no doubt why Sai was having such a hard time. Sai's technique was disadvantageous against his opponent's ice-type attacks, and it required some time to prepare—time which he did not have. The man was so fast even Sasuke, with his Sharingan, had a hard time catching it. Unless Sai activated his bloodline _now_, chances were, he was going to die.

"Dammit. If the ice melts in his veins, the blood vessels will break!" Sakura said, pale and frightened. "Internal bleeding . . . then, if a medic doesn't get to him in time, Sai'll—no!" She shook her head. "No! Sai can't die. He's . . . Sai, after all . . ."

At this point, Sasuke put aside his dislikes for one Sai Uchiha and rushed forward, preparing to help his _teammate_. He saw Naruto running with him. But then—

"Sasuke! Stay back! You're still injured and nowhere ready to fight!"

It was Kakashi. The Copy-Nin glanced at him from behind the giant blade he was trying to block, with Zabuza at his tail.

"But—"

"That is a direct order, Sasuke!" he shouted, every word an obvious strain in his battle.

Sakura whispered behind him, more to herself than Sasuke, "Shinobi Rule Number Ten: Never defy an order from your captain."

He could only watch, then, as Naruto charged toward the prison of mirrors. Before anyone could stop him, however, he ran straight in.

"Oh my god. Did he really just—?"

_Naruto, you idiot!_

"Watch out!" he heard Sai shout.

The man reappeared outside the mirror, hurled the ice needles, and jumped back into another mirror once more. The fox-faced boy cussed loudly as they punctured his skin.

Sasuke watched with increase frustration and desperation. The routine was exactly the same, but the timing was random and unpredictable. Behind him, he heard Zabuza tell Kakashi that "Haku's" ice mirrors were inescapable.

He pled for time.

In twenty minutes, the boy was down, unconscious on the ground.

It didn't take long for Sai to go too. Without his teammate, Sai was on the brink of falling, but still hanging on, with dozens of needles stuck on him. Sasuke could tell "Haku" was getting tired as well. It wasn't noticeable without the Sharingan, but the man's movements were just the slightest bit sluggish, his aim just a little off.

He pled for luck.

Haku's emerged from the mirror, both of his hands full of senbons—more than enough to be fatal. At the last moment, however, he didn't aim for Sai. At the last moment, his eyes drifted to the unconscious figure on the ground.

At the last moment, Haku chose Naruto to die.

"_The pain . . ."_

No . . . no . . . Sasuke's pupil dilated. Unbeknownst to him, a second tomoe swirled from his left eye. Suddenly, a thing that can only be called memory enveloped him, bringing him back in time . . .

Five years ago . . . in his past life . . . the same thing had happened . . . yet he had forgotten.

"_. . . that you feel . . ."_

Without a second thought, he ran, ran toward the Demonic Ice Mirrors that no one ever came alive out of.

"_. . . is . . ."_

He ignored Sakura and Kakashi's simultaneous outburst of "Sasuke!".

"_. . . your . . ."_

The boy's elbow arced back, preparing to end Naruto's life.

"_. . . price."_

Sasuke leapt, landing straight in front of Naruto.

The hand swung forward, so did the needles.

He pled for a miracle.

* * *

**~.*.~**

* * *

Naruto blinked his eyes open slowly. How long . . . had he been out? He lifted his head from the mass of paper. And blinked.

If front of him . . . was Sasuke.

"Teme . . ." he said, half-groggy still. "What are you doing here?"

Then his eyes cleared, and he saw the dozens of needles embedded in his best friend's skin.

Sasuke's head turned, facing him. His face was unmarred; he wasn't even grimacing. Yet Naruto knew that the volley of ice senbons had done the trick: Sasuke was close to dying.

"Saving you, idiot."

A half-stunned Sai could be seen a little way across. The ink from his pen went _drip drip drip_ on the ground. A half-stunned Naruto was still at his knees when Sasuke lost balance, and fell.

Naruto caught him.

"Don't worry." The raven-haired boy's voice was barely above a whisper. "I'll be back."

That was the last thing he said before closing his eyes.

* * *

It had happened so fast Sai could barely see anything.

In the back of his mind, he cursed himself for his carelessness, and for not able to activate the Sharingan, but all he really thought at the moment was:

_Sasuke is dead Sasuke is dead Sasuke is dead._

_Because of me._

They said that a kill was never easy, but a comrade's death was even harder. They said that you would never be able to forget the last look in their eyes, their last scream or smile. They said that it would haunt you forever. They said that, eventually, you would get over it.

They said.

He had felt nothing for the Rain-nin that had died beneath his sword all those years ago. His expression gave nothing away. That was the shinobi way. That, was _him_.

Yet . . . he could do nothing as the masked ninja's deadly senbons were hurled at Naruto's figure, completely vulnerable. The last bit of his energy gone, he could only watch as the needles traveled closer, closer, closer to the boy like the slow-motion of a horror movie. Closer, closer, closer, until surely, the boy would die . . .

Reality is different from books. _Being_ is different from _observing_.

And then Sasuke appeared. Sasuke, the boy from Cloud, the boy who possessed the Sharingan, the boy that looked so much like _him_, came to the rescue. His body shuddered at the impact and pain of the needles, blood began oozing out of the punctures. Naruto awoke, and he began to fall.

The last thing he said—his last words—would be etched in his mind forever.

"_Don't worry . . . I'll be back."_

Then, all hell broke loose with the first flash of red.

* * *

"Sasuke!"

But the boy didn't stop. Instead, he dashed straight into the prison of ice.

Kakashi did a back flip to avoid another one of Zabuza's stroke before the kunai blocked the blade. They were in yet another stalemate.

_Dammit,_ Kakashi thought, a sheen of sweat on his face. _I swear, when we go back to Konoha, I am going to assign you to run fifty laps around the whole village. Foolish, foolish boy. _Then another thought distracted him._ So much like Obito . . ._

"Don't worry, Kakashi," Zabuza said behind the bandages. "That kid won't feel any more pain once Haku is done with them." Strike, duck, block. There was no time to retaliate with jutsus. "In about five minutes."

A loud, desperate cry pierced the air, raising the hackles of any man, shinobi or not.

"SASUKE!"

It was Naruto.

Pause. "Or maybe sooner."

Bright crimson was the last thing he saw before the mist blocked his sight.

* * *

Naruto felt himself burn through the very core of his heart, anger fueling his flames.

_Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead._

_No no no!_ He felt something within starting to break, something else to leak through. A small, still rational part of his brain tried to stop it, screaming, _The Kyuubi is breaking loose! The Kyuubi is breaking loose!_ But it was quickly overridden by the larger part of his mind, screaming for blood.

Soon he was consumed by sorrow and frustration, and a red tail made entirely of chakra appeared. His eyes turned red and feline, the marks around his face deepened, and claws grew out of his fingers and nin-sandals. His form glowed red.

Somewhere inside his subconscious, the real Naruto curled around his knees in the dark. A confused child grieving for his lost friend.

Sai watched in unusual horror (for normally he did not show emotions, especially in battle) as his blonde-haired teammate began transforming into . . . a beast.

Red chakra swirled up around Naruto in spirals as Naruto himself began to transform. The force was so incredible Sai stumbled back a few steps.

"What the—!"

And then he saw it. A glowing, red tail appeared behind Naruto, who was crouched down low. All around him, mirrors began to vibrate and break. The beast let out an agonized howl and they shattered.

Sai slid backward, landing on his bottom. Pieces of debris and paper shreds whipped through the air, though he was lucky enough to not get hit by one. The boy put an arm before his eyes to understand what was happening. This was no way. How could Naruto, the class clown, the dead-last, the prankster who failed every single test, possess such power? But, more importantly, _why now?_

He needed to activate the Cursed Seal, he thought, limping. He needed to activate it quick. He needed power. He needed it _now_.

A low, feral growl was heard through the cutting gale as the fox-like boy crouched down low, searching for his target. Then, through a shard of ice, the masked missing-nin glided out with a kunai in hand, ready to kill his opponent in his unawares. Sai, sensing danger, cried out in alarm—but he didn't need to. The demented form of Naruto turned straight at the the Mist nin and, with speed that made images blur, punched the other boy.

The mask fell off his face with a _clang_. Sai swore he could hear it for miles around. The Seal around his neck gradually faded back.

Naruto's form blurred in front of his opponent, face to face, features set on a feral snarl. One superhuman, with a killer intent that literally blast thing open, against a broken, unconscious boy.

The tides had turned in the matter of minutes.

The fight was over.

* * *

He glared at the boy, _Sasuke's killer_, his eyes registering for _what it was _but not _who it was_.

The moping child in the depths of his mind peered into his eyes—sensing that something was about to happen—and froze. In response, he himself froze also.

The face . . . the boy . . . it was _him_. The boy he saw in the forest!

Naruto could remember so clearly. Him, running away through the misty woods, away from Sakura's hurting words. Him, training on that stupid chakra control until his whole body ache. Him, falling asleep then waking up to find—

_No!_ the side controlled by the Nine-Tail shouted._ He—he killed Sasuke! He _deserves_ to die!_

_But—but—_

_Have you forgotten the rage that you felt? Kill him, now, when you have a chance!_

_I—I—_

In that split moment of indecision, red eyes turned back to blue. The red chakra was absorbed back to his body. The rage that had once supplied his body with the Kyuubi's strength left something hollow in his chest. Slowly, comprehension replaced the blind fury that filled him before.

Naruto stood up straight and looked at the now-conscious Haku.

It was as if one look could tell a million things. At Haku's gaze, Naruto understood that this boy in front was no different from him. He was alone. He had been shunned for his existence. He had been waiting for death. But he had been given a purpose by the missing-nin—a reason to live. Zabuza had found him. They were alike in so many ways. But . . . it all came down to the battlefield. It was the ninjas' life.

"You didn't kill me . . ."

Naruto felt near to tears. "Why . . ." He hated his trembling voice. "Why . . . Why does it have to be you or me?"

When Haku spoke, it was calm and serene. "We are both shinobi. This is our life." He smiled faintly. "All of my chakra reserves are gone. The only reason that I still fought you was for Zabuza-sama's sake. Now, it seems that my usefulness is at an end."

"Shinobi—"

"Are tools." Haku bent down to retrieve the mask on the floor. "It is not our personal desires that matter, but that of our masters'. The only reason that I'd continued to live so far was to serve Zabuza-sama. Unfortunately, even that is impossible now." He dropped his hands to his sides, guard completely open. Haku looked directly at Naruto and said, "Kill me now. It will be better for the both of us. Protect the people you love."

The blonde turned and wiped tears off his sleeve, and fingered his kunai apprehensively. "You know," he whispered, "I think . . . I think . . . if this was another place, another time . . . I think . . . we would've been friends."

"I hope so too." Haku bowed his head. "I am glad I met you, Uzumaki Naruto."

It sounded so solemn, so final. He didn't want to kill this boy. He had to. It was not right. But it needed to be done.

_To protect the ones I love!_

Naruto raised his trembling hand, still holding the kunai, and prepared to end Haku's life.

_Swish!_

_Clang!_

Naruto and Haku whipped toward the source of the sound. Behind them, two kunai fell on the ground.

"Sai . . . ?"

Said boy panted heavily, his wounds apparently dragging him down.

"He—" Sai pointed at Haku and coughed loudly "—cannot die . . . Must—" he took out another kunai and slid his feet back shakily in an offensive position "—take back to Konoha alive . . . Interrogate . . . Bingo book . . ."

Naruto realized, with a sense of cold dread at the pit of his stomach, what Sai meant. He wanted to take Haku back to the Konoha Interrogation Center, where he would be tortured for information, and eventually die. The blonde glanced at Sai and then at Haku. This wasn't the matter of killing him or not now, he realized with a sinking feeling. It was now about his loyalty to his friend, versus his loyalty to Konoha.

Sensing movement from the corner of his eye, Naruto twisted around to see—Haku, smiling at him softly, as if he knew what he was thinking. One senbon needle appeared out of Haku's sleeve, and, before he could stop it, the boy proceeded on . . .

Naruto tried to cry out, tried to shout at Haku to stop. But it was to no avail. The senbon came closer and closer to the missing-nin's heart, while Haku himself closed his eyes . . .

The sound of a million birds filled the air. Haku's eyes snapped open. The senbon stopped centimeters in front of his chest.

To the two, he said, "I'm sorry. It looks as if my usefulness isn't over just yet."

"Wait! What are you talking about—!"

He was already gone.

A second later, the chirping stopped abruptly, and the air was silent once more.

* * *

There were three things that Sakura noticed when the short, round man who Tazuna identified as Gato appeared.

Number one. The mist cleared.

Number two. The ice mirrors were no more.

Number three. There was no fighting anywhere. Not even with Kakashi and Zabuza.

Number four. There were two bodies lying on the ground.

It was the last one that disturbed her the most. The fog did not fade away altogether, though she could tell that the two tall, stiller shadows were Zabuza and Kakashi. There were two others, but it was too indistinct to individualize them. With her clever brain, it only took one second to process these facts.

Conclusion? At least one of her teammates was down on the ground.

She didn't know if she could bare it if it was Sai. Sakura knew that, even though shinobi were forbidden to reveal emotion, she would probably bawl her eyes out at the sight of his unmoving body. If it was Naruto, she knew she would still be terribly sad, even over the annoying blonde. And, if it was Sasuke . . . there was a terrible sense of guilt crawling up her throat. The last thing she had done was punch him. Now the excuse for doing so sounded so childish compared to what was at stake. She hoped with all her heart that the body on the ground was merely a trick of the light.

"It seems that I am no longer under Gato's employ," Zabuza said after a while. "Therefore I have no quarrel with you, Kakashi."

"Ah."

"This brat is dead now, heh?" Gato's drawled loudly, kicking one of the bodies. Sakura strained her eyes and saw that it was . . . Haku. She winced as Gato pushed his cane down the shinobi's face. "That is for my arm, you evil son of a bitch. Ha." He took a step back. "Too bad you can't feel it now, you little—"

"STOP! STOP!" came Naruto's furious cry. "GET YOU DIRTY STICK AWAY FROM HIM! HE DIED AN HONORABLE DEATH AS A SHINOBI! BACK OFF OR I'LL—"

"Naruto!" said the voice of Sai. The mist cleared, and he was seen trying to hold back the blonde, without much success.

Sakura felt a lump in her throat. That meant—

"NO! GERROF ME!" Naruto struggled against Sai's grip, but Sakura could hear his voice waver slightly, as if crying. "YOU!" he said, pointing at Zabuza. "WHY ARE YOU LETTING HIM DOING THIS?"

"I'm sorry that the boy's powers are gone," Zabuza said flatly. "But I don't care for the boy. He was, and always has been, a tool."

Naruto's struggles ceased, and Sai let go of him.

"He died for you," he whispered. "He sacrificed himself for you, but now it's wasted!" He flicked his eyes toward Zabuza. "Haku thought you as the most important person in his life! That's why he sacrificed himself for you! But now it's wasted, because you clearly don't care for him! YOU BASTARD, HE—"

"Kid," Zabuza suddenly said. When Sakura looked at his face closer, she realized that he was . . . crying. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. In his slouched form, Zabuza Momochi looked more like a defeated old man than one of the infamous Seven Swordsmen. "Shut. Up."

And so he did. Everyone on the bridge watched in amazement as Zabuza began biting off his bandage around his mouth, revealing his thin mouth and small, jagged teeth.

"Kid," he said again, with more determination and anger than the last. "You have a kunai?"

Naruto, still sniffling and a bit confused, nevertheless threw a kunai for the man.

The shiny metallic object spun in the air three times before meeting Zabuza's mouth.

What happened later was a blur to Sakura. She could only register that, there were several more bodies lying about, one of them Zabuza's, stabbed by many of the men's. Gato was nowhere to be seen.

None of her teammates moved. They were all shocked, like how she was. The crowd of thugs began to mutter among themselves. Now that their employer was gone, what would they do?

She saw one of the men's eyes slide toward Tazuna, who she had almost forgotten about. Sakura tensed, but saw that his eyes weren't focused on her client, rather, what was behind him.

The man grinned slyly, and she understood. With no employer, these rogues were going to do whatever they could to get money, and their greedy little eyes were on the poor, defenseless people of the Waves.

She gulped, swallowing down her worries, concerns, fears, and helplessness. They were emotions, and she was a ninja.

She met Tazuna's eyes and nodded. The old man looked over at her blank face, the one she liked to dub "kunoichi's mask". His eyes carried a strange sort of concern.

"'A ninja must not show her emotions'," she explained, ignoring the pity in his eyes. She turned away from him, away from the last body on the ground, and stood in a firm, defensive stance.

She was a ninja, and this was her mission.

* * *

Kakashi knew what they were planning even before the head thug spoke. He had very little chakra reserve left, having lost enough to make his head feel dizzy. But he still knew how stupid a move it was to simply declare your purpose to the enemy, no matter how obvious they were.

He was surprised, when the villagers appeared before them (with that boy, Inari, in the lead), though it wasn't really needed. Naruto, seeing that the numbers was what made them quail, came up the idea of using the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Two dozen Narutos appeared along the bridge.

Kakashi shook his head at how Naruto never seemed to run out of chakra, and made a little sigh, wondering how he missed the simple brilliance of that strategy. Once the smoke cleared, there was a total of eighty Kakashis, standing around the area. He had to admit to himself, a ninja could really gain big bucks in the entertainment industry. A pity that the Hidden Villages banned that. Something about ancient secrets being spread around civilians.

Of course, once all eighty of his clones said together, at the same time, "Do you really think . . . _that you can still take us on?_" every single one of them ran off the bridge like mice in the face of a cat.

That was, at least, one victory won.

Kakashi smiled behind the mask, turned, and was about to congratulate his team on a mission well done, before a tear-streaked Sakura ran before him, followed by Tazuna and the rest of his team.

The rest of his team who were alive, of course.

Kakashi's smile turned upside down. His shoulders weighed slightly heavier than before, and there was that familiar, but not comfortable, tug of his heart whenever a comrade died.

With cheers in the background—so unfitting in this horrible occasion—Kakashi turned his heels and followed Sakura to the darkest corner of the bridge.

* * *

**A/N:** By the way, Sasuke did lose his memory at the beginning of this chapter, and then getting it back before Naruto was about to be killed. I tried to make it obvious, but it turned out a bit weird. Please tell me if it is too confusing, so I can fix it?

Before you close this chapter, can someone answer a rather important question (to me)? I'm planning around the Chuunin Exams already, and I really need to know (since I don't have internet in my laptop) this: In Konoha, did Team 7 go to the written exams the day after Kakashi announced about the Chuunin Exams? It doesn't really make sense that they would go directly after the day it was announced (won't they be unprepared?), but I can't find anything in my memory that counters this.

Thanks for everyone who reviewed last chapter!


	6. His Person

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Naruto**_**. If I did, Sakura would not have put deadly poison in her kunai and hesitate to stab Sasuke. She'd do it, and Sasuke would be injured, but back in Konoha. Sakura would be a hero. :)**

**A/N:** Short chapter. Not exactly my favorite one either.

Warning: Voice appears a lot.

* * *

6. His "Person"

It would be a nice thing, Sasuke decided, if he simply blanked out into darkness the moment he "blacked out". It was what had happened last time, and it was how it should've been.

But _no_. Obviously, it wasn't going to happen this time. Either because, unlike last time, he had all of his chakra, or because he had the Voice in him, Sasuke didn't know. All he could understand were the voices in the outside world, echoing through his mind, and the metallic clangs that rang about his ears. He heard Naruto's Kyuubi incident, Haku's suicide, the arrival of Gato, and the sneering thugs.

All this time, there was one thought in his mind: _I can't believe this. I've failed. I'm too late. This is the end._

And then, apparently, his body decided to shut down. Right before the outcome of the battle. In his mind (since he couldn't move in the "death state"), Sasuke began a mental struggle against the black curtains that were falling across his mind, wrestling for consciousness.

The battle was over quick. Within a few moments, Sasuke blacked out.

* * *

The room he arrived in was well lit and warm. Yet he felt unnaturally cold.

Sasuke felt terrible. He was tired, for no apparent reason, and nauseous. He felt angry at himself for forgetting what had happened. But, above all, he felt anxious. The guy, Haku, wasn't finished yet. Sasuke was unconscious the last time this happened, so he had no idea how Naruto had defeated Haku, if he defeated him at all. And that meant they could all still die.

He tried to search for an escape from the room.

It was spacey—the room, that is—but he couldn't help the claustrophobia that threatened to creep onto him. There were no windows, no doors. The four walls were widely spaced, huge, but smooth and flawless. Not a crack anywhere. To top it off, the room was bare; there was nothing in it. Light itself came from somewhere, but there was no lamp to be seen. It was like being stuck in a box. Experimentally, he tapped on the wall beside him. It sounded solid. Then he tried to punch a hole through it. He winced when his fist made contact. When he drew back his hand, there was nothing. He punched it again, sure that his fist would break—but it was like the first time. Nothing. He felt no pain, but there was not a dent on the wall. Feeling something close to panic now, he decided: burn through it.

Tiger, ox, horse—

"Hello, Sasuke."

He blinked, swallowed, and allowed his eyes to roam around the room. He found no one, though he had a pretty good idea who it was.

"Voice?" He was surprised that it didn't come out rasping or croaking. "Where am I?" he demanded.

"Your subconscious. Where I am." The Voice, as usual, laughed. "Oh, if only I have a camera now. Or even a mirror. You should really take a look at your face."

"This isn't the time to make jokes, Voice," he snapped. "Tell me, why did you suppress my memories?"

The sound of a small sigh echoed through the room. "I didn't."

Sasuke snorted (was it possible to snort in your subconscious?). "Liar. You are the only one living in my brain right now. Whatever jutsu you used, it can directly affect my mind—and, because of that, my memories." He clenched his fist. "Tell me this instant before I wake up and hunt you down in the real world. Now."

When the Voice spoke this time, it came out cold and icy. "And you should be reminded that I also have powers beyond your imagination. I have alternated time and space, and I have brought the dead back to life. I changed the course of history and did more things than you could ever imagine. You, however, are a Genin—a child no more than twelve years old, an ungrateful little brat. You have shown little besides spite, hatred, and illogical anger. Aside from sixteen years of memory and an abnormal pig-headed arrogance, you are no different from the rest of them, no better a human being. Get it in your head, Sasuke. You are not a prince. The world does not revolve around you."

"I—" he started.

"Sasuke. I have given you this opportunity to save your friends and yourself. Do you really think it is wise to say such things _at me_?"

". . ."

The Voice, however, appeared to have softened. "But there's still hope left in you, Sasuke . . ." Suddenly, he sounded like a weary old man. "Did you know, every single time, before a villain turns into a villain, I gave them a choice of a sort? Normally, it's in the form of a person that might change the outcome of their betrayal. Like . . . Madara."

"Madara?" Hearing the man's name, Sasuke was once again overcome with anger.

"Yes, Madara. Before he was overcome by ambition, I sent his brother over. I hoped he could convince Madara to stop his obsession with taking over Konoha. Unfortunately, Madara decided to overlook his brother's love and killed him.

"For Orochimaru, there were two people. The first was Jiraiya, his _best friend_. They fought each other instead . . . And there was Anko, his student who loved him and looked up to him . . . He used her as a test subject.

"Then . . . Pein. Konan stayed by his side after Yahiko's, his comrade and best friend, death. Although she didn't convince Nagato (that's Pein's real name, by the way, Sasuke), she gave him the support he needed to fight for a better cause—no matter how twisted his logic was—instead of personal gains.

"And . . . for Naruto, it was Iruka."

That caught his attention. "Naruto?"

"Yes . . . Strange, isn't it? I would be surprised too." The Voice seemed to be lost in a musing. "Why would a boy, so bright, so cheerful, be a possible villain?" Pause. "Naruto has always been shunned for the village, but they can't throw him out because they need a Jinchuuriki—which, ironically, is what they hate the most about him. He was shunned and hated—still shunned and hated—for no reason at all. Naruto himself was on the point of self-destruction, which would eventually cause the village's destruction, being the Nine-Tail's host. However, when Iruka taught him, Naruto learned to be accepted, and how wonderful it would be if everyone acknowledged him. That is why he strives to become Hokage, to earn acknowledgement from the villagers."

The Voice gave a low chuckle. "And I sent a person for you too. Did you know that, Sasuke?"

He frowned. "There was no one." He was absolutely convinced in that. It was, after all, one of the reasons he had left the village: They didn't understand why he wished to gain his revenge. "Not even Naruto."

"No one at all?"

". . ."

"Think, Sasuke . . . Who was with you, day and night, after you became so jealous of Itachi's interest on Naruto? Who was the one that paid undivided attention on you, cared for you even, at your weakest? Who was the one that Naruto promised to bring you back? Who was the one that was willing to give up everything, just for you?

"Who was the one . . . that said she loved you?"

He blinked.

Sakura?

"Yes."

"But she's a _fangirl_!" he protested.

"You are saying that she is no different."

He hesitated.

"She proclaimed her love for you," it continued to prompt.

"She was thirteen."

"She never gave up on you."

"She tried to kill me."

"She failed to."

"That is the past!" he all but hollered.

"The past makes who you are now."

"It doesn't matter. When you brought me here, everything else is erased. Forgotten! No one knows who I am anymore. I am replaced by Sai. Stupid, stupid, Sai . . ." Sasuke wanted to kick something to rid of that prickling feeling behind his lids. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that he was being absolutely childish. But then, he was in his freaking _subconscious_ already. This _was_ the back of his mind.

"So you are saying," the Voice said, amused, "that you hate what is happening right now because no one remembers you."

Sasuke froze. The Voice silenced, waiting for his answer.

What happened to things in his control? What happened to his carefully formulated plan—to hide?

Did he really feel pain?

Sasuke took in a deep breath. "H-How did you know all this? How do you whisper into the other people's minds? Possess us, like Orochimaru?"

"No. Does Orochimaru seem like the type to grant wishes?"

"Then what? What can you possibly want from me?"

"Pain. As payment. It was the price you agreed to pay. I am the collector."

There was nothing more he could've asked, faced with such a cryptic response.

He sighed, just barely. "Are you going to stay in my mind forever?"

The Voice gave a light snort. "No. To be honest with you, I like Naruto's subconscious much better than yours. I don't want to be trapped here forever. The idea is not exactly _appealing_, you know."

He blinked. "Naruto's subconscious." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yep. Naruto's subconscious is much brighter and happier. Bigger, too. Nothing like these walls." It gave a thoughtful pause. "The Fourth's jokes are lame, but he's good company."

". . . You've been to Naruto's mind."

It gave an amused 'Hn'. "Do you like riddles, Sasuke?"

"No," he answered, not exactly sure where the conversation was going.

"Then you'll hate this one. Try and solve this. _'I've always been here, but I've never been here. I'm everywhere, but I'm nowhere to be seen. I'm invincible, but I can do very little. I am all-seeing yet not all-knowing. What am I? Guess: a god who is mortal.'_"

He twitched. "A confusing sadist."

Said sadist laughed. "Glad you got that tongue back."

Trying to get rid of the confusion that swirled in him, he asked, "If it wasn't you, then why did I lose my memory?"

"It was an outside force."

Outside force?

"Remember the migraine you experienced?" it continued. He nodded. "It caused your amnesia. Brain trauma, from a sudden and powerful blow."

His fingers found the spot hit by the Zanbato's handle. It was still tender and he winced slightly when he touched it.

"It will happen again," he said.

"Hm?"

"The amnesia. My loss of recollection. It will happen again."

"Yes . . . painful, isn't it?"

Sasuke scowled. "Is this the 'price' you were talking about?"

He could almost hear the Voice smile. "No," it admitted. "For one, it is too small a price." Sasuke's noise of protest was disregarded. "For another, the injury was not of my doing. Not directly, at least."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, not sure if the Voice could hear it. "You mean you'll make me feel pain _directly_ from your doing?"

The Voice suddenly quieted, which confirmed even more of his suspicions.

". . . Oh, wait. Is that my doorbell? Sorry. My bad. Got to go."

"Wha—"

"No more time for questions. I've told you as much as I can."

He sat up, trying to stop the Voice from leaving. "Wait—!"

"Don't worry. It's not as if I'm leaving until I get my payment."

Sasuke stood, but immediately felt dizzy in the head. "What the—" The room began fading in and out of focus.

"I'll see you in the real world."

His eyelids began to droop. The Voice whispered something, but he couldn't hear. The room collapsed, and Sasuke fell . . .

Then the scene faded into the familiar black.

* * *

He opened his eyes.

There was something warm and wet on his chest. Sasuke blinked, and groaned. And looked down. Something pink. Another blink. It was Sakura, sniffling and crying on his shirt.

"Oh . . . my . . ."

"Did you see . . .?"

"He's . . . he's . . ."

"HE'S ALIVE!" Naruto was the loudest of them all.

Sakura, hearing the commotion, lifted her head up. Green eyes met black. They blinked, like they didn't believe what was in front of them.

"KYA!" the pinkette screamed. "Oh my goodness Sasuke's ghost just came back to haunt me!" She cringed from him, and slapped him on the face.

He wasn't expecting it. "OW! What was that for?"

Sakura stopped in mid-slap. "Sasuke . . . ? You—You are—Are you—?"

"Feeling well?" he sat up, blinking out black spots. He glanced at his arm, where little bloody holes could be seen on his skin. "No."

Instead of crying out her undying love for him—which was, frankly, what he had expected—Sakura hugged him. Hard.

"Ow." But he wasn't really complaining.

"Don't be a sissy," she snapped, letting go and slapping him again on the cheek, though it was softer. "I cried! You weren't even breathing! I thought you were dead!" Her expression turned deadly. "Don't die on me next time, Sasuke! How can I get you back from insulting Sai-kun like that?"

His face was a shouting question mark.

"Yeah, yeah, teme!" Naruto cut in, fortunately. He slapped him on the back. (Sasuke noted, after coughing several times, that all of his wounds were healed. Probably by the Kyuubi.) "I still need to beat you in water-walking! Then we will beat up Sai together too one day too!"

"_What did you say, Naruto?_"

"Ah . . ." the blonde winced. "Gomen, Sai-sama. Very sorry for insulting you!" He peered at Sakura and edited his words. "Sai-sama is the greatest of the great ninjas, of course, the highest of the high, the mightiest of the mighty! No one can and will ever beat the mighty Sai-sama! He is and always will be the strongest, the greatest, the highest, and the mightiest even though he's a freakin' bas—AHH! No! Sakura-chan! Sasuke, Kaka-sensei, _save meeee_!"

The villagers of Waves sweat-dropped at the exchange, unsure if these kids were the fearsome ninjas that had saved their home country.

A ghost of a smirk lifted the older boy's lips. Sasuke looked surprised by that, since Sai rarely showed emotion. The painter boy felt him look and directed his gaze to Sasuke. And smiled.

("NARUTO! Apologize to Sai-kun!" "AH! NO! SAKURA-CHAN! THAT HURT!")

"Glad to see you alive too, Gay Boy."

Sasuke's eye twitched.

* * *

Something small and cold dropped on his arm. He caught a glimpse of white before it melted away. Snow . . .

_Haku . . ._

He twisted around and found the two bodies, lying there, side by side. In front of the corpse of Gato and his thugs were Zabuza and Haku, the former seconds away from death. Bloody spears and spikes laid around the two.

Kakashi was there too, his left eye obscured once more by the Leaf insignia. It had been the ninja's last wishes, after all, to see the child once more.

He could read Zabuza's lips with the Sharingan, easy. But . . . he didn't. They were Zabuza's last words, and they were private. He didn't deserve to know. Sasuke looked away.

_He is looking up to the sky right now, saying, "White . . . is that you, crying?"_

Sasuke didn't ask why the Voice chose to come back right now, nor did he ask how it knew.

_Really?_ he asked.

_Mm-hm._

The soft, light things called snow continued to drift down what would later be known as the Great Naruto Bridge. Soon, it would cover all of the blood, which shall be washed away as the thawing came. The world will begin anew after snow . . .

_Haku was Zabuza's person, you know,_ the Voice said after a while.

_Makes sense. _A moment of hesitation._ Did . . . did he succeed?_

Somewhere out in the world, the true identity of the Voice smiled, before saying:

_Yes . . . he has._

* * *

**A/N:** And that's the end of the Team 7 Arc!

A very sincere thank-you to everyone who has read my story so far! An even bigger thank-you to those who had reviewed! Without your support this never could've happened. Now, just seventy-some more chapters to go. -gets bashed over the head- Just kidding! :D


	7. The Chuunin Exams Are Here!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N:** Oh. My. God. Originally, there was a different a/n up here, but it isn't as important as this.

Okay. I know most of you heard, but just this Thursday there was an earthquake that hit Japan. 8.9 magnitude. 900 miles off the coast of Sendai. Biggest earthquake in Japan. Fifth biggest in recorded history.

I live in California, but thankfully the tsunami didn't hit San Francisco or anywhere near my town (just small puddles of waves and such). Here's the deal: last I heard, about five hundred people had died and more were reported to be missing. The death toll is expected to rise up to more than a thousand.

I can't describe just how devastating this is. Words are failing me. So many earthquakes, and so quickly too. And, imagine, Japan is the world's third most economically-contributed countries in the world—they have all the high techs, all the earthquake-safe systems and such. But what really is that compared to the wrath of nature? What really are we, humans, against Earth?

I'm really sorry if I got you all depressed. It's just that . . . well, I really want to help, and I feel very powerless right now. I guess we all do sometimes. So, please, if you know anything that a small fanfic writer like me (or just teens in general) can do (like organizations that take volunteers—I'm really clueless about those things), I really, really want to know. I'll do everything I can to spread the word (in fanfiction, at school, through families, etc).

Thank you.

(P.S. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Use less plastic and paper, close the tap after brushing your teeth. Remember to be grateful for what you have every day. SPREAD THE WORD!)

* * *

**Ch****ū****nin Exams Arc**

* * *

7. Tension, Suspense, and Suspicions: The Chuunin Exams Are Here!

The setting was Konohagakure, of the Fire Country. Exactly three o'clock of pre-dawn.

The night wasn't quiet, as it was almost summer at this time. Crickets and cicadas chirped in the dark, giving the village a lazy and peaceful feeling. Konoha was shrouded in darkness, except for the unrelenting streetlights, determined brighten Konoha even at nighttime.

If you happened to take a midnight stroll at this time and glance up at the Hokage Monument, you could see (if you strain your eyes really, really hard) a lone silhouette that stood on top of the mountain. To the others, he would just be another one of those elderly shinobi who come here from time to time to watch the view and reminisce about the past. Sai Uchiha, however, was neither old, nor did he come to watch the view, but for something else entirely.

A bird appeared in the distance, flapping its winds against the gentle wind. The boy, his wide black shirt proudly adorned with the red and white uchiwa fan, did not acknowledge the presence of the creature. He merely continued staring off into a distance—or, more specifically, the multitudes of houses that sat in the far corner of the village, a district empty ever since that fateful night four and some years ago.

Flap, flap, flap. The bird flew closer to the boy, unafraid of the human presence. Finally did Sai notice the bird. In a flash, he unfurled his scroll, and the bird melted into the paper, transforming into words. Paragraphs and paragraphs of them.

In less than ten seconds, he finished reading, though he showed no signs of distress, anger, happiness, anticipation—emotions. The dark-haired boy stared blankly at the scroll. He brought his index and middle finger to his lips and whispered:

"Ninja Arts: Ink Words Scramble."

Words on the sheet of paper began to move. They unstuck themselves from the scroll, "walked" across the paper, and lay back down again, rearranging in order. After the last symbol once again lay motionless, Sai looked it over. What had once been a secret coded message was now a list of groceries. He crumbled the piece of paper, dropped it, and watched it as it fell, rolling on the Fourth's nose, bouncing on the Third's mustache, and down, down, down to the village below.

"What are you planning, Orochimaru?" he whispered softly, his words carried away by a summer night breeze.

_Wait for my surprise, Sai-kun..._

"That's him, isn't it?"

The boy jumped back several feet from the source of the voice, grabbed a kunai, and spread his feet into a defensive position. His mind flew frantically. Someone had seen him. That someone saw him scramble the words of the message, and had most likely guessed what he was doing. This wasn't good—

Then the voice registered. His muscled relaxed. Sai straightened his back and glared coldly at the girl, who had one hand on a tree. She looked at him with pleading blue eyes.

"Ino."

The blonde stepped out of the tree altogether. "Sai, you know you shouldn't . . ."

It was very peculiar to see Ino Yamanaka, who was the least girly girl you would ever have met (personality-wise), and the last person who would ever be a damsel in distress. Yet here she was, confronting Sai with wide eyes near tears.

She took a deep breath to collect her courage, and continued. "You know what will happen if—"

"How did you get here?" Without his notice, when he'd specifically checked the area beforehand? She shouldn't have been able to come up here without his numerous traps at the entrance setting off.

Ino had, in fact, been there for most of the night. After a good number of hours wasted spying on the Monument, Ino had done a Mind-Transfer Jutsu on the last civilian leaving the place that afternoon. She hid her body and left the premises in the body of an old man (who would wake up near a park with no recollections of how he'd gotten there whatsoever). Once she broke the jutsu (thereby automatically transferring her mind back to her own body at the top of the cliff), Ino watched the boy from her hiding place until now. But there was no happiness in her success, now that what she saw confirmed her worst fear.

So she didn't answer, and instead settled for glaring at the boy, moment of weakness and crying gone. She noticed that he didn't even try to fake a smile now, something that she had taught him to do—back when they were still friends.

Best friends.

"You idiot!" she yelled. "What about you! Your loyalty to the village? And your team, that prankster Naruto, Cloud boy Sasuke, Forehead!" _And me_, she added in her head.

"What are you assuming, Ino?"

Her face was flushed. Sai noted that she was probably angry at him. "You are going to leave the village, aren't you?" Her eyes flashed again. "Don't even _deny_ it. That's what the letter was about, isn't it?"

He found it hard, somehow, to meet her glaze. "I am still considering my options."

"Considering?" Her expression was that one of disbelieve. She took a step back, her bangs sashaying from the movement. "Considering? There is _nothing_ to consider about! This. Is. Konoha. It's your home. You can't leave!"

"I have to get my revenge," he said, ever so calmly.

Abruptly, Ino looked down, fighting against the tears. _It's all Itachi's fault_, she decided. _It's because of Itachi that Sai turned like this. It's because of him that Sai changed. All his fault. All his fault. ALL HIS FAULT!_

"You don't even smile for me anymore," she whispered, so low that Sai thought he imagined it. "You said—"

—_you loved me. Sai and Ino, forever and ever._

"_You are beautiful, Ino! I love you! Forever and ever and ever! Will you marry me?"_

"_Baka!" Bam! "If you want me to marry you, you have to give me a ring first! And flowers! Lots and lots of roses!"_

"_But . . ." Pause. "I don't know where to get a ring."_

That won't work. "We were—"

—_best friends._

"_Then you can't marry me, of course! EVERYONE knows that."_

"_Everyone?"_

"Everyone_."_

"_Then . . ." Thinking. "Will you be my best friend?" Pause. "Best friends forever and ever and ever?" Smile._

_He has a nice smile . . . Blush. "F-fine!"_

"The past is past," Sai cut in, wrapping a string around his scroll. With his back turned towards her, he began walking away.

"Wait!" she leapt forward, and, in her panic, stumbled. Her fingers fumbled blindly. Ino grabbed Sai's shirt by accident as she fell.

Sai caught her.

He peered at her. "What is it that you want, Yamanaka-san?"

The indifference . . . it hurt.

But she didn't let it show.

"'Addressing the other by their surname, with the suitable suffix, is a form of respect,' from _Common Etiquettes and Mannerism_, was it? Your favorite." She gave a pained sort of smile. "Also, 'But sometimes, this form of greeting may also show hostility.'"

Sai said nothing.

"Don't go to the snake bastard—"

He moved away from her. Sai lifted the straps of his katana, and continued to walk down the monument.

He couldn't see, but he could _feel_ her. Strange, wasn't it? A boy with no emotions could feel something that wasn't humanly possible. Nevertheless, he felt it all—her anger, her desperation, her sadness. Was this what they called empathy?

So Sai decided to walk away, to continue ignoring her. Least said, soonest mend.

He took a step forward.

_Twang!_

Any ninja with some sort of self-worth would recognize the sound: a wire's snapping. And that could only mean one thing.

Faster than his reflexes, a net materialized underneath his foot. The trap shut around the boy, dragging him up a tree.

Sai sliced the net open with his katana, but Ino immediately appeared in front of him, anticipating his moves. Blue eyes flashing, she hurled a kunai at the boy. Sai dodged easily.

Ino, however, wasn't aiming for him. Sai's eyes widened as he heard two more _twang!_s go off behind him. He pumped chakra onto his feet and jumped, but he didn't completely escape them.

His pack full of weapons dropped to the ground, spilling ink everywhere. Sai landed on the ground a few feet away. It was within reaching distance.

_Twang, twang!_

The moment he shifted his foot, the last trap activated. It caught him by surprise. Wires snapped around his ankles. His feet were caught; he couldn't move.

Ino stepped forward and onto the giant puddle of ink. The moonlight's shadows covered her face.

"If you won't listen to me . . ." She lifted her head up. Tears brimmed around her eyes, a mixture of sadness and defiance. "I'll make you!"

Sai continued to struggle with his binds. She lifted her arms forward, fingers curving slightly to the famous Yamanaka jutsu.

"Mind-Body Swi—"

"Ninja Arts: Illusionary Ink Prison!"

"What?" Ino glanced down at her feet, where the puddle began to bubble and rise. A tendril of ink rose from the rest, grabbing her arm. Soon, many more were formed, until Ino was completely enveloped in the ink cocoon. The technique would leave her inside a genjutsu, a world as dark as ink itself.

When she woke up, the girl would remember nothing about their encounter.

The ink faded away like wisps of smoke. Sai looked down at Ino's unconscious form.

Instead of leaving her in a bench somewhere, he scooped her up and hurried her to the hospital.

* * *

**~.*.~**

* * *

Most humans rely heavily on their eyes. Though ninjas were trained with their other senses too, they were no exception. This was what Sasuke was thinking as soon as he closed his eyes. _He was at a disadvantage._

It left him feeling strangely unprotected. Closing his eyes helped him maximize the concentration of his ears, true, but his opponent was nothing if not clever. She would doubtlessly use this to her benefit.

The wind blew, rousing the tree branches and scraping leaves against the dusty ground. Sasuke smirked, as he knew exactly what his opponent was going to do. If he was correct, she would try to use the noise as a cover for hers, and then attack him while on it too.

_Phiw phiw!_

Metal kunai sliced through the air—two in total. Sasuke opened his eyes and sidestepped them easily. He almost snorted. This was too easy. What kind of kunoichi was she?

_One that is about to blast you into a million itsy, bitsy pieces._

_What?_ Sasuke asked, too concentrated in his own game to take notice of the Voice's words.

_BAM!_

Behind him, explosive tags, hidden in the kunai's backsides, detonated, sending a small fireball around the clearing. Fortunately, he escaped into the trees unhurt.

A rustle of movement. Sasuke's senses went on high alert. His fingers automatically formed the familiar seals of the Fireball Jutsu—but stopped.

There was something wrong. His opponent (although he couldn't see her) was moving slowly through the trees. As if she didn't want to hide at all.

His eyes narrowed. A trap?

He finished the last seal, and _whoosh!_ a fireball appeared in front of his mouth. The rustling became louder. His opponent was trying to escape, but the fireball had already burned through that part of her escape way. Black fumes rose in the air, making breathing difficult. Eyes stinging, Sasuke marched forward to where his attacker had been.

When he approached the figure, however, Sasuke was sorely dismayed. A weak shadow clone of Sakura was on the ground, pale, indistinct, and in apparent pain (_diarrhea?_ he wondered). The clone was probably meant to distract or bait Sasuke before the real Sakura came, but it seemed that she still did not master the technique.

"That was a flaw in your plan," he said loudly, knowing that she would hear. "Not quite as smart as you thought, huh?" He insulting her pride.

Sure enough, Sakura appeared with a scowl, upside-down, on the branch above, along with three shuriken. He deflected them easily, but was caught unprepared when the girl decided to drop from the tree.

_Wham!_ In addition to headaches from the fumes, Sasuke saw stars. He was sprawled on all fours in an unflattering position with Sakura's foot on his back, face against dried, rough grass.

The Voice snickered. _How embarrassing._

* * *

"I win!" Sakura did a victory dance around the bounded boy, who was sulking in the ropes.

Next to him, Naruto started to whine too. "_Kakashi-sensei!_ Why couldn't I be partnered with Sakura-chan or Sasuke-teme? Or even the Bastard? Why did it have to be _you_?"

Kakashi wasn't looking at him; back at the book, as usual. As he flipped another page, the Jounin spoke, "Sai can't come today. Said it was an emergency. Found Ino on the Hokage Monument, unconscious, it seems." (Sakura was too busy yelling at Sasuke to take note of her sensei's words.) "Plus," he drawled lazily, "you need more training, Naruto, if you want to be Hokage. You can't become one if all it takes defeating you is a _poke_."

Sasuke, meanwhile, was trying to recover whatever dignity he had by remaining silent. He still couldn't believe that he was beaten by Sakura. _Sakura_. Him, the mighty Sasuke Uchi—that's not the point. The point was: he, _Sasuke_, had been beaten by a girl with pink hair! On their first sparring match too! He would never be able to live it down. _Ever_.

"Wonder what Sai-kun is doing right now," Sakura thought aloud after she made Sasuke apologize to the trees he burned (what was the point? Those trees couldn't hear anyway). She whirled around to Sasuke. "Ne, Sasuke. What do you think Sai likes better, pink or yellow?"

Hearing the mention of Sai, Sasuke's face darkened.

After the rare show of emotion at the bridge, Sai became more distant than ever. It was much like his last life, he realized. Sasuke himself had distanced from Team 7 after the fight against Haku. He had been jealous and angry . . . jealous of Naruto, angry of the moment of weakness he'd shown before his "death". Was this what Sai felt? Was this why Sai refused to meet with them today? Was Sai hiding something?

Then the hypocrisy of his words struck back at him. If anyone was hiding the secrets, it was him. After all, hadn't he lied about his real identity and hid the secrets of his heritage? Wasn't he the one that refused to say anything even when he knew everything?

Doubt, doubt, doubt. That was all Sasuke felt when he came back to Konoha. Was he really strong? How could he be so sure of anything? What, really, did he hope to achieve?

Sasuke did not tell his teammates about his sudden memory losses. Strangely, there hadn't been one since the Land of Waves. He had asked the Voice about how the amnesia thing really worked. What it came up with were a few unhelpful advices and puzzling sayings. So he decided to procrastinate, telling himself that it wouldn't happen again, despite what the Voice had said back when he was unconscious. A voice in the back of his head told him that this would come back and haunt him, sooner or later. The Voice claimed to have nothing to do with the voice.

What a messed-up sense of conscience and logic he had. All of these right-and-wrong, friend-or-enemy, and good-versus-evil thoughts were coming back to him. Memories of his past life—the one that he had never been able to save—haunted him in his waking and dreams.

Sasuke gave the barest of sighs. If this was what a couple months of Team 7 did to him, in a few years, would he turn into a Naruto? He shuddered at the thought of a sixteen year old him, jumping in front of Madara, screaming, "Dattebayo!"

. . .

Bad thoughts. Bad thoughts.

While Sakura was screeching into his ear, Kakashi suddenly straightened his back from the leaning position against the tree. He cleared his throat, earning the attention of his three Genin students.

Holding up one finger, looking a little up at the sky, he started, "If you don't mind, guys, I have an announcement . . ."

Sakura and Naruto were startled, since their sensei rarely made announcements, especially in the middle of his porn-reading. However, Sasuke wasn't. He already counted the days and had knew a long time ago when it would happen.

"I have recommended all three of you to the Chuunin Exams. Sai, as you know, was already promoted Chuunin a long time ago," he continued calmly, producing three pieces of paper. "Here are the forms for you to fill, if you wish to enter. Once you pass the Exam, you will be promoted into a Chuunin. That means higher level missions and higher pay."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Really? Does this mean that we can get the more exciting missions?"

Kakashi nodded. "_If_ you pass the test. It's in six days, on July the first."

"Yes!" Naruto punched a fist in the air. "I'm definitely going. Dattebayo!"

"Ano . . ." came an unusually quiet voice. Kakashi turned to his female student. "Sensei . . . is this a team decision?"

". . . no. Individual decision."

Sasuke wasn't paying much attention to his form; his eyes were fixed on Sakura. The girl seemed to have paled somewhat, the loud, overconfident guise wearing down to one of a timid girl's. She wasn't an idiot like Naruto. The girl knew the dangers of the Exams, the death rates, the casualties. In addition to all that, there was, of course, Orochimaru—though Sasuke thought he didn't need to worry too much about that. Last time, the Sannin had come for _him_, and Sai already had the Cursed Seal. There was no reason for him to come to Konoha again. It was one history that would not repeat.

"Oh."

Kakashi smiled, and motioned for Sakura to cut off her teammates' binds.

"Now, I need to go run some errands—"

"More like buying a new set of porn," Naruto said loudly.

If Kakashi heard, he gave no indication. "—so I want you to continue training each other, now that you understand their strengths and weaknesses. Sasuke, I need to talk to you for a moment."

He stood up warily, knowing that his sensei was about to reprimand him on burning all those trees. While Naruto and Sakura began their spar, the Jounin walked to another part of the training grounds and indicated Sasuke to follow him.

Sasuke left the other two. After that A-rank mission (Naruto still insisted that he didn't cry with Inari, and if he really did, they were "manly tears"), Kakashi came to the conclusion that Team 7 needed some major input in teamwork. It was true, Sasuke had to admit. Their team was severely unbalanced. Sakura, while she didn't particularly resent Sasuke (couldn't say the same about Naruto), would always put _Sai-kun_ first. Naruto would always find a chance to show off to Sakura. Sasuke swore to protect his teammates, but didn't particularly include Sai in that category. The Chuunin himself seemed to have changed, but Sasuke couldn't trust him after he abandoned them in Waves. All in all, everyone had their priority mixed up completely.

So, Kakashi decided to cut down their missions. The best way to teamwork, he reasoned, was to know each other better. Team 7 had no specific area of expertise (like reconnaissance or taijutsu). It was something to worry about. Kakashi told them that it was easy, then, for them to work together: just teach each other. After all, Sakura had perfect chakra control, Naruto knew a Jounin-level technique, Sasuke was—in a Genin's sense—an expert at ninjutsu, while Sai was the most experienced one out of them all.

That was how, every single day, the five spent tedious hours in the same old place, repeatedly practicing the same thing: Naruto's Shadow Clones, Sakura's chakra control, Sasuke's ninjutsu and taijutsu, and Sai's "stimulation ink beasts" lessons.

So far, all Sasuke could produce was a weak replica of himself, semi-solid, semi-transparent. It reminded him of the clones Naruto himself produced in that past life, looking half-starved. His chakra control was improving, though there seemed to be a limit as with how long he could stay on the tree. And all Sai's beasts managed to do was annoy him. The others? Aside from Sai, none of them knew their nature affiliation yet, which made most of the ninjutsus that he (was supposed to) knew useless. And he wasn't about to teach the Cursed Seal's wielder anything.

Sometimes he wondered if anything changed at all.

Was this what his teacher wanted to talk to him about? That he was hiding something? The boy forced himself to look at his sensei, and found nothing—no emotion, as a shinobi should be. It was strange, though, to approach a Kakashi so guarded.

"As you know, Sasuke," the man began, "Hidden Leaf does not offer a lot of 'transferring ninjas'. With you, we made a very special exception. Do you know why?"

The twelve year old was silent. He had some ideas, but none of them seemed too fitting, considering the circumstances.

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck. "Well, see . . . It might seem rude of me, saying this about your former village," Sasuke noticed that he was eying the hitai-ite around his forehead, "but . . . Cloud and Leaf weren't always friendly with each other. Lots of history going on. Wars, the Hyuuga kidnapping, the Uchiha kidnapping . . . All of that." Kakashi took a deep breath in, and exhaled. "The short version of this is that: they offer us a boy with the Sharingan that they recently found, and we secure a certain negotiation with them. So. Here you are."

When the boy didn't react in any way to the news, he continued, "The upcoming Exams—if you decide to enter, that is—is especially important. Cloud representatives need to see how you did in Konoha." _And leech some information out of me_, he added mentally, knowing that was what Kakashi wanted to say. "You are the center of our political alliances. I know the place before you came to Konoha (wherever that is) is the place you grew up in. Naturally you'd remain loyal with it. However," at this, the Jounin's eyes flashed "if you show any signs at _all_ that you are betraying the village, I will not hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?"

Sasuke looked up at him without hesitation. "Yes."

Kakashi glanced at his student, and sighed. A hand on Sasuke's spiky hair, the Jounin said, "Look, I know you're a good kid. A bit antisocial, grouchy sometime—" Sasuke's eye twitched "—but a good kid all the same. You're talented, willing to sacrifice for your teammates—all of them traits of a good shinobi. Just remember this . . . you are a Leaf nin. Your loyalty belongs to this village. Konoha."

The past is never allowed to be erased, never truly hidden, no matter how hard humans try. If Kakashi had guessed Sasuke's true childhood, he didn't show it. And it was happening again. The memories, the guilt, hitting him in the face. Sasuke felt nauseous, just like how he'd felt after seeing Sai in the woods. It (for the lack of a better word) sucked.

The silver-haired man was about to leave (his head was already buried in that book of his), but Sasuke stopped him.

"Kakashi. I need to ask you something."

His mentor did not say anything, merely tilted his head forward, indicating that he was listening.

Sasuke paused, wondering why he was being so polite (in his standards), but continued.

"If one of your students actually _does_ betray the village . . . what will you do?"

Kakashi smiled, but his words were cold: "To me, then, he is as good as dead."

* * *

That night, Sasuke walked back to his apartment after an afternoon of training. This time, he took a different route back home, knowing that the Rain-nin he had seen before, in the other life, would attack him any moment. Just for this once, he would rather not stir up any attention.

What Kakashi told him, about being a teetering point of a Fourth Ninja War especially, disturbed him immensely. He knew nothing about his so-called "past" in Kumo. What if a nin recognized him?

The Voice told him not to worry too much, that no one would recognize him. Why? he'd asked, while leaving the center marketing place. The Voice replied briskly that he had lived his entire life with little to no human contact, out in the woods. He'd learned ninjutsu from a woman too old for missions for a brief while before she was killed—not by ninjas, but from robbers.

When Sasuke asked if he should feel some grief, at least, for the woman, it replied that he should, but it wouldn't matter much, sadly. After the woman died, Sasuke lived alone for about five years before a Cloud-nin found him. The man tried to take him back to the Kumogakure. His body acted in self-defense, and the Sharingan appeared.

The Sharingan was legendary. No matter how hard Konoha tried to hide from the other nations, news of the infamous Uchiha Massacre still leaked out from the village.

_So naturally the man brought you back, hoping he would get some kind of award or gold._ The Voice clicked its tongue. _Instead, he was thrown behind the bars, poor guy. Apparently, a spy, a Konoha one, heard about your whereabouts and told the Hokage. They would've loved to gouge out your eyes to find out the Sharingan's secrets, but the Raikage knew that the Third knew, and the Third knew that the Raikage knew he knew. So the Cloud leader jailed the man, making it clear that the village has no part in your appearance in Kumo, and promised to deliver you on a silver platter in exchange for a peace treaty of sorts. Eager to have a Sharingan-user in the village, Sarutobi agreed. That's your life, basically._

Sasuke thought about it for a moment._ Does the Hokage think I know about this?_

_Considering that he sent Kakashi to tell you about it? No._

_No?_

_Yes._ It turned thoughtful.

_Then why are you telling me this?_

_Well. Hm . . . Leaf and Cloud have been on each others' throats for years. Do you know that, even before the Hyuuga kidnapping, they tried to take Sai too?_

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. That was new. He waited patiently for the Voice to finish.

_Also, even more interesting. Sai, before the kidnapping, was a baby named Sasuke Uchiha. They changed the name afterwards. Strange, isn't it?_

_What does that have to do with my question?_

_Nothing, _it said innocently._ Just that, you know, Sai was real young back then, about three or so years old. He might've forgotten a lot of things. Important things._

_What do you mean? _Sasuke asked impatiently. Just because he learned to respect the Voice . . . somewhat, didn't mean he wouldn't get irritated with its tactics.

_Whiz!_

A kunai pierced the air beside his left ear. Sharingan already activated, his eyes darted up, catching a figure in cloak and straw hat crouching on the roof of a tea shop. He felt a sense of annoyance. The Rain-nin had found him after all. How the ninja even knew that he was attending the Exams, Sasuke didn't know.

Thinking fast, the raven-haired boy pulled out three shurikens around each hand. He hurled them in midair while jumping backwards. The ninja dodged them easily, but that wasn't what Sasuke was aiming for. Opening his palms, the boy revealed six wires tied around his fingers. With a flick of his wrist, the shurikens wrapped around the man, rendering him immobile.

_Poof!_ A ceramic pot dropped on the ground. The Rain-nin appeared on top of a nearby branch.

"Haha! Think that you can pass the Chuunin Exams with that level?" the man said in every bit of an evil swagger. "Better off not going, kid. _You won't make it out alive_."

But Sasuke merely smirked. He raised his arms up high, hands swinging around, and dropped them suddenly. The metal strings formed a W-shape from the movement, its ninja stars with it.

The foreigner laughed. "What do you think you're doing? These cheap circus tricks won't work on—Shoot!"

The shurikens were supposed to stay on the wires, true, and Sasuke had no way of cutting them quickly. So, instead, he threw real ones, and it caught the enemy off guard.

The man tried to dodge, but he couldn't escape the shurikens that went flying past him. At the last moment, he bent down, letting the weapons hit his hat. But Sasuke was counting on that. He jumped and delivered a Phoenix Fire Jutsu. The man realized that he was cornered. He leapt into the air, but also skinning his shoulder in the process.

Sasuke stopped in the middle of the "boar" seal. The man, sensing this, stopped in his steps also. The two stared down at each other.

Then Sasuke spoke:

"Iruka."

A small stunned silence, and _poof!_ Umino Iruka appeared, the signature scar across his nose.

"I didn't know we are on first-name basis, Sasuke-san."

The moment Iruka leapt into the air, his Henge faltered slightly. Sasuke, with the Sharingan, naturally caught this.

The Genin's jaw clenched. "What is the meaning of this? Why did you attack me?"

"Darn it, they won't be too happy about this. Catching me off guard like that." The Chuunin stopped rubbing his neck and looked at Sasuke. "When they said that you were good, I didn't expect you to be _this_ good. I see Kakashi has taught you well."

Something clicked in Sasuke's mind. "This is a test."

Iruka gave him a wry smile. "Yep. You're also the first one to figure it out. Ever. Not a Genin to be underestimated, huh?"

The Chuunin didn't walk far away, pausing already after two steps. Iruka was struggling for words, his shoulders tightening and relaxing in irregular intervals. Finally, he turned back. Facing Sasuke once more, he said, "I know I'm not supposed to show favoritism to my students, not even former ones. Heck, I don't even know you that well. But . . ." He hesitated. "The Chuunin Exams are dangerous. Many people died. So I want to ask you a favor . . . Do you think you can look after him, at the Exams? Protect him, making sure he won't rush into battle, like what happened in Waves?"

"You mean . . . Naruto?"

Iruka nodded. Sasuke looked at the man's warm face and almost flinched. Iruka clearly cared about Naruto very much. The blonde constantly chattered about this man too. But Sasuke never knew. He never knew they were this close. And, now to think about it, what else did he know about one of his so-called "important people"? What did he know about Kakashi? About Sakura?

Close to nothing, he realized. In his first life, he never paid attention to the people around him, until much, much later, when it was too late. For the first time, this lack of knowledge startled him. How . . . ?

He broke from his reverie. "Why?"

Iruka smiled apologetically. "He's always going on about 'beating that Sasuke-teme'. I figured you two were close. Plus, you seem like a good enough person."

Sasuke almost blurted, "Well, then you don't know me at all," but then realized that it was true. Iruka really knew nothing at all about him. That thought was painful.

Instead, he said, "You seem to put a lot of faith in a stranger."

"I'm an Academy teacher." He shrugged. "I know kids. Despite what you think, no one is too far from a child. The difference is in skill, not in heart. I believe that—"

The Voice suddenly spoke in his head, in sync with Iruka. _"—even the most bastardly of villains have that one small place in their heart where they can redeem."_

_That's how Naruto was raised, _the Voice said, alone this time._ Iruka is Naruto's redeemer. Subconsciously, Naruto always held on to the hope that he could change you. Until, of course . . ._

He died.

The Chuunin smiled again. "I'm sorry. This must be like some sort of Academy lesson for you. First year Genins hate that."

"I'll help him," Sasuke said suddenly. "He's my teammate."

Iruka's eyes crinkled. "Thank you, Sasuke."

Then the man left. Sasuke blinked. What did he say about first-name terms again?

* * *

The moment of remorse and confusion didn't last long. Sasuke immediately thought back to what Iruka had said. So . . . if this was a test, that meant . . . the others must have gotten something like it. He felt a slight chill. He knew Iruka wouldn't hurt Naruto . . . but Sakura, up against a Chuunin? It would crush her confidence, even if she didn't know who her opponent really was.

Sasuke rooftop-jumped across the village, hoping to find his pink-haired teammate. Anxiety coursed through him, like the fight on the bridge. He tried to convince himself that she was in no mortal danger, that the last time this had happened, she managed just fine on her own. But then . . . this was different. Everything might be different. Sasuke knew that he could never abandon his teammates, ever.

Chakra-sensing was the reasonable thing to do—if he had been seventeen, not twelve, and it wasn't in a ninja village. Hundreds of unmasked chakra flowed through the air. It was downright impossible, needle-in-the-haystack. Searching it manually was the best way.

It was slow, it was torturous. Sakura wasn't in her apartment, wasn't in Ichiraku's, wasn't shopping. Sasuke did manage to find Naruto, however, who was comforting a crying girl. Moegi, he thought she was called. When he asked the boy of Sakura's whereabouts, Naruto gave a stupid grin and sang, "Sasuke loooves Sakura, Sasuke loooves Sakura~" before Moegi cried again. Naruto, it seemed, didn't understand the seriousness of the situation. There was no time explaining things to the dobe. He had to find Sakura quickly.

Sometimes he wished he had the Byakuugan instead of the Sharingan.

Sasuke shivered. Ugh. What an _unholy_ thought.

He searched everywhere, from the Hokage Monument to the Academy grounds. She wasn't even with Sai (who was sitting next to Ino's bed in the hospital; Sasuke failed to see the point of visiting an unconscious girl). He couldn't find her, and it only fed the gnawing monster in his guts. Finally, after two hours of nonstop running and jumping, Sasuke gave up. He decided to find Kakashi, who would know the best way to search for the girl.

The masked Jounin usually came to one place in his spare time—the Memorial Stone. Kakashi would always appear to be there, unfailingly, whether in sunshine or thunderstorm.

He stepped into the familiar training grounds, and immediately felt a chakra signature close by. But it wasn't Kakashi's. He turned around, facing the woods, and saw . . . Sakura.

_Well._

The girl was lying on the ground in a spread-eagle position, face turning slightly sideways. Her eyes were closed: she was probably asleep. Sasuke walked closer cautiously, careful not to step on any of her long hair, which spread into a halo around the girl's head. Her fingers clutched the Leaf forehead protector tightly. Light breezes stirred her pink tresses occasionally, and starlight overhead soothed her light skin.

She was almost . . . cute.

All of the sudden nervousness he'd experienced vanished instantly. So she wasn't attacked after all, and, judging by the shurikens and kunai around the area, had been training before he came. Who knew? The girl who cared nothing beyond her looks actually trained.

Looking down at her peaceful face, Sasuke was reminded of all those things that he had been so jealous of in his other life: naïveté, happiness, and _family_. She was the only one in their team that hadn't lost anyone important . . . yet. He compared the twelve year old Sakura to the sixteen year old Sakura and saw the difference. Him leaving had a great impact on her. He was the one that had changed her. Almost without realizing it, he bent down to brush away a strand of hair that had fallen across her face.

Sometimes it was easy to forget that this little girl was actually a ninja that punched really, really hard.

Sakura's eyes snapped open. Green orbs rolled and zeroed on Sasuke. They narrowed ever-so-slightly before she hollered, "AH! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT, YOU FREAK! GET LOST!"

The Fist came, and BAM! Sasuke's body flew into the air, rotated three times, hit a tree, and slid down along the bark.

Sasuke thought he blacked out for a few seconds.

Sakura blinked. There was an astonished expression on her face, as if she couldn't believe that she actually punched Sasuke.

She winced.

"Oops."

* * *

The Sharingan-user watched with some apprehension as Sakura opened up a piece of rubbing alcohol. The Voice laughed.

They were in Sakura's room, him sitting on the chair before her desk and her on the bed. The girl had brought Sasuke through the window after alternating between apologizing and "why the hell did you sneak up on me, Sasuke!", though she refrained from punching him again.

"Mom's civilian," she explained. "She can't tell genjutsus apart. Dad is away for a mission right now. Hopefully he won't get back until later. They'd freak if he finds out a boy is in my room." She rolled her eyes, and proceeded on dabbing his scraped knee and elbows with the alcohol. Sasuke, however, said nothing. "Seriously. Parents can be such a pain sometime. Don't you think so?"

He pressed his lips into a thin line and looked away. "I don't know. I was orphaned."

Thankfully, she kept her mouth shut on the matter. While that was true, she probably guessed that his parents were killed by robbers or thieves, something like that. He didn't want her sympathetic words if she didn't know what really happened. That he never had parents in this life.

The moment of awkward silence was over quickly. Sakura, like Naruto, was a talker. "You know, I'm really sorry that I punched you."

"Che, whatever."

And she smirked proudly. "But I still beat you."

"We weren't even sparring!" he protested.

"Doesn't matter. I beat you twice. In a day. Nothing you can say about that~"

"Che. Whatever."

She smirked once more and said nothing else. Sasuke glared. After the last band-aid was stuck across his knee, Sakura patted the sticker down and said, "There. All done."

The boy scowled down at the flower-patterned bandage. Was he going to get an earful from Naruto tomorrow. "This isn't needed," he insisted. "The Chuunin Exams is coming up. It'll only be a hindrance."

At the mention of the Exams, there was a small trace of discomfort from Sakura. She squirmed uncomfortably on the mattress, her face turning a bit gray.

He appraised her for a bit, and then said, "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

She looked at him, surprised that he'd read her so well.

Sasuke sighed. "Well?"

It was an okay for her to talk. A mutual signal.

Sakura closed her eyes. Her voice trembled a little. "Well . . . I've been doing _a lot_ of thinking after the mission to Waves. I used to think that this was all enough, you know? I'm a ninja now, and nothing can stop me. Then I saw the people in Waves. I saw Kakashi and Zabuza fighting to death, Haku sacrificing himself, bastard Gato being thrown off the bridge, and the islanders' cheering . . ." She raised her arms and flopped on the bed. "Then I realized it. You, Sai-kun, and Hinata have these special dojutsus. Ino can go into people's minds, Shikamaru can trap people's shadows, Chouji can flatten people, Shino has bugs, and Kiba has dogs. The only ones that aren't from special clans are Naruto, and me. Naruto . . . he's an idiot. But that chakra on the bridge (I still can't believe they named it after him) was incredible. He heals fast and can go on and on and on in training. In the end, I'm the only one who isn't special. Dad's a great ninja, really, but he was born from a civilian family. Stamina has never been our strong point. And he's talking about retiring right now, being a shopkeeper instead. I don't know what to think."

"That's very . . . mature of you," he said reluctantly.

She grabbed a pillow and threw it at Sasuke half-heartedly. "Anyway . . . Maybe that guy's right. Maybe I'm not ready for the Chuunin Exams yet."

"Which guy?"

"A Rain-nin. He casted a genjutsu of Sai-kun, thinking that I would fall for it."

"Ah. So you thought I was another illusion."

"Yep. I was really surprised that the punch actually landed. It was really more anger than actually wanting to hurt a genjutsu, as stupid as that sounds." She blew a strand of hair out of her face. Though the strand stayed stubbornly across her wide forehead, Sasuke thought that it actually made her look better.

"Did you?" he asked quietly.

"Hm?"

He repeated the question. "Did you fall it?"

"No!" She looked scandalous. "Genjutsu was always my favorite subject at the Academy, even though they only taught the basics." She beamed. "I'm observant."

Then she huffed out another breath and dropped back on the bed.

"You don't have to go to the Chuunin Exams. It's an individual decision."

She turned her head, facing him now. "Are _you_ going?"

"Yes." He had to. Cloud-Leaf alliances aside, he needed to graduate Chuunin to get outside the village more. It wasn't something he could do right now, but . . . he wanted to meet Itachi. Sasuke couldn't imagine the man—the brother he'd grown to love, even only in memories—would change. Even . . . even though he wouldn't recognize Sasuke anymore. Hopefully, he would find Itachi and convince him to come back to Konoha. Even though the Council ordered him and massacre the entire clan and he was known as an S-ranked criminal who would probably be executed right away once he stepped a foot in the village, and that Madara would be in the Akatsuki threatening him with the safety of Sai—But those were details. He could work them out.

"Don't you know about the mortality rates? The deaths? The people that get permanently injured, never becoming a ninja again?" Her eyes were wide and fearful.

"I have a goal. To achieve that goal, I need to be a Chuunin."

"Why, though? Why would you want to risk your life for something that might not be possible?"

The corner of his lips tilted up arrogantly, though his next words were anything but that.

"Sometimes," he said, thinking of Itachi, the older brother who he couldn't save him in the last life, "there are things more important than my own life."

Sakura opened her mouth, and closed it. She swallowed thickly at Sasuke's expression and his tone. It was as if he didn't put anything at heart. She didn't understand why anyone would risk so much for a _possibility_.

This, Sasuke thought in his head, was the one main thing the girl lacked as a shinobi.

Seeing that she wasn't going to say anything, Sasuke spoke.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to." Half of him genuinely didn't want her to go. It was too dangerous, for her. But the other half knew that, if she didn't, he would lose his chance of entering. Genins rarely get permits to get out of the village, and by then, it might be too late already. That was probably the only reason why he didn't tear Sakura's registration form yet. "There is always a chance—"

A hand over his mouth cut off the rest of his words.

She shook her head. "I'll go," she said, with much certainty.

At this, Sasuke's heart plummeted and lifted at the same time. He felt . . . a strange mixture of elation, excitement, apprehension, and guilt. Elated and excited for the people he could fight against, apprehending for Sakura's safety, and guilt, because he knew he was using her to achieve his goals. He was supposed to protect her, but he needed to enter the Chuunin Exams too. It was contradictory, but he convinced himself that he could do both of them.

Despite the inner paradox, the only emotion he showed was a raise of his eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yup. You need someone to protect you anyway, right, Mr. I've-Lost-to-a-Girl-Twice-in-a-Day?"

"The second one didn't count," he insisted stubbornly.

Just as they were about to launch into another argument again, a voice sounded from downstairs.

"Sakura-chan!" Sasuke froze. Sakura froze. "Sleep. It's eleven already! I thought you have an exam soon or something?"

She jumped off the bed and opened the door by a fraction. "I know, I know, Mom! Just . . . studying!"

Floorboards creaked as her mother climbed up the stairs. Sakura's eyes widened slightly when the woman arrived in front of her bedroom door.

"Sakura-chan, what are you doing?" Behind her back, Sakura was making frantic hand gestures for Sasuke to hide.

"Um . . . nothing?"

Mrs. Haruno pushed open the door. Her head stuck through the doorframe and eyes swept around the room.

There was no one.

"See, Mom, no one's here. You know, you should really trust your daughter more. I _am_ a ninja now . . ."

Her mother slid back to the hall, speaking through the thin walls. "I was just wondering what you were doing in your room. It seemed awfully noisy up here."

"Hehe," Sakura laughed uneasily. Her door opened once more. The pink-haired girl was tiptoeing back discreetly, trying to slide away from her mother's probing gaze. "It was—I was practicing my jutsus. Iruka-sensei always said that it's better to say the seals out loud. Better hand-eye-thought coordination, you know."

"Alright." Pause. "Well, goodnight, honey. Sleep is important for your body's metabolism. You _are_ a ninja now, but even a ninja needs to sleep sometime. Remember what happened to the Fourth Hokage when he didn't sleep for ten days straight."

"He got beat up by his girlfriend. I know." She edged back into the room. "'Night, Mom."

The sound of flip-flops, slapping against the wooden floor, grew fainter. Soon, the only sound in the room was Sakura's soft breathing.

The girl gave a sigh of exasperated relief and turned around—only to come face-to-face with an upside-down Sasuke. He had dropped down so that only his feet remained gluing to the ceiling.

"Eep!" She punched him. He almost fell on the floor.

Instead, he fell on her bed.

His protests and witty insults were drowned by pink, lotion-smelling blankets. After struggling for a few seconds, a spiky head propped up.

Sasuke, of course, glared.

"Sorry," she said sincerely, "but . . . you stayed."

"What?" He was annoyed. "Did you want me to leave?"

"No!" she said, a little too quickly.

One leg on the windowsill, he looked at her direction and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm . . . a bit scared," she admitted. Her face reddened in embarrassment.

"Scared?" Of what?

"Chuunin Exams." He leaned against the wall, waiting for her to finish. "I—I—Mom's not nin so she doesn't get how dangerous it is. I know she wants to but she can't really help." She started to babble. "Dad's on a mission to some other village and I really, really need someone to stay with me. I have a feeling that tonight's going to be horrible and I'll have horrible dreams and nightmares and then I won't be able to do anything again just like when Zabuza was trying to get me with his giant sword I can't do anything and it will be so scary and I'll probably just get in the way again even if people think I don't know I actually know that I'm not a good nin and that the only thing I will ever, ever be good at is tree-climbing but who the hell wants that? I will go to the Chuunin Exams it's just that I heard that people from the other villages are coming and it's so scary and sudden that Kakashi only told us now when we have to prepare _in six days_. I mean, _of course_ I know this is an individual decision but why can't he tell us earlier when there's still time to think instead of six days when everything will just go pass like really really fast and there's no time to make such a HUGE decision like this—"

Sasuke clamped a hand over her mouth. He thought that, by letting her rant, she would get her frustrations out, but she kept speaking redundantly. It was annoying.

"Deep breath," he ordered, removing his hand. She obeyed. "Out."

She blew air slowly out her puffed cheeks.

"Better?" She nodded. "Good. So you want me to stay here?"

"Yes. If you want to," she added.

It took a moment for him to consider. Of course he didn't want her getting the wrong idea, but thankfully, Sakura was so obsessed with Sai she probably won't notice. And, when he racked his brain, he couldn't think of an excuse (well, actually, he _could_ . . . but that wasn't the point). She already knew he had no one to go home to. She wouldn't be fooled.

"Fine," he said, but couldn't help but add, "Just go take a bath or something. You reek."

Her eyes flashed murder, but, since he was the one in control of the situation, she couldn't argue. Sakura knew this too.

Angrily, she stalked to the exit, before turning back and saying, "Oh, and you have to sleep on the floor."

The door slammed. Not being able to help himself, he looked at the floor. It was made of wooden tiles.

That was comforting, right?

"Che. Annoying."

* * *

In the end, Sakura took pity on Sasuke.

They ended up dragging a mattress down from the bed. There Sakura slept, side by side with him, where, to his surprise, he was completely at ease with this non-fangirly Sakura.

Somehow, Sasuke missed that. He missed being with someone who did not cower before him. He missed warmth and comfort. He missed being with his—dare he say it?—friends.

He was free, his hands washed clear of all his past crimes. He was free of vengeance, free of madness, free of hatred. He could breathe again. He had friends who cared for him. He was _living_.

The boy shifted in his bed, his eyes now on the sleeping girl. She was facing him, with her eyes closed in a deep slumber. Moonlight that shone on her pale, doll-like face gave the girl an elf-like quality. If he hadn't known better, Sasuke would never have guessed what this girl was capable of awake (god, did he share Naruto's pain now).

The floor thing had been a joke (they were shinobi for god's sake; it was their _job_ to endure the most terrible of situations), but the mattress was considerably more comfortable.

And he slept peacefully the entire night.


	8. And So We Meet Again

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Naruto**_**.**

**A/N:** I think something is wrong with FFnet. A few days ago I tried to publish this other fic for a friend (on a different account), then this "Error Type 2" thing came up. I tried to log out and log in again, but it still pops up, immediately after I hit the "continue" in the category button. I went so far as searching the "Fanfiction Error Type 2" on Google, and I found out that a lot of the people were affected by this... Seems to be all major fandoms. So, here's the solution if you want to update your stories, it seems that you have to change the "property" on the address bar into "content," then it should work.

This has absolutely nothing to do with the story, but I want to say it anyway. I think I first fell in love with the pairing SasuSaku when I watched Episode 28, "Eat or Be Eaten: Panic in the Forest!". Back then, four years ago, I knew, with the Pairing Radar built inside me, that Sasuke and Sakura will end up together, not NaruSaku. I've never failed to predict a pairing, ever. Not so sure now . . .

**Japan Earthquake Update: **A big thanks to everyone who offered me advice and stuff. I really, really appreciate it. Right now my best bet in helping is donating some money, and hopefully get into some volunteer work in my spare time (because I think we should help _everyone_ that needs it).

Also, did anyone see the news about the radiation-floating-to-west-coast-US thing? That was really scary, since I live in California. But, thankfully, those brilliant scientists who help our lives improve everyday told us that the radiation is too little to be of harm. :)

* * *

8. Sasuke's Second Chuunin Exams: And So We Meet (Again)

The six days passed quickly.

Team 7 trained in every single one of those days, trying to get some extra work done once they made it clear that they were entering the Chuunin Exams. Every morning and afternoon, Naruto would stand on water, Sakura trying to replicate a shadow clone or a particular genjutsu, and Sasuke setting fire on dummies with his "Phoenix Fire Jutsu". In those half a dozen days, they were able to improve their teamwork by sparring (scoreboard: Naruto-4, Sasuke-7, Sakura-12). When Kakashi asked the boys teasingly why Sakura was winning ("More than both of you combined!"), Sasuke sulked and said that he was "going easy on her" because she was a girl, earning him a Punch In the Face.

Sai was never with them on these trainings. Immediately after Ino was discharged from the hospital two days later, Sai left for a mission, in the Land of Rice Paddies. It wasn't as if Sasuke was worried; it was none of his business. But whenever he saw Sakura sulk because of this, he felt a tinge of annoyance for the idiots.

The sleepover between him and Sakura became a tradition sort of thing. Sakura never minded his company (she was probably too embarrassed to ask Sai, who wasn't there anyway, and too annoyed to ask Naruto), and neither did Sasuke mind hers (just as long as she didn't punch him again).

It was a nice change from the lonely apartment, (he would never admit that he actually _liked_ these sleepovers; how stupid), and Sakura's mother never noticed Sasuke's presence in these occasions.

Though, on the night before, Sakura made an exception and invited Naruto to her house too. After Mrs. Haruno's huge dinner (while Sakura must've inherited her ninja side from her father, Sasuke felt for sure that she had gotten her personality from her mother), the three went to bed, feeling a lot more confident for what awaited them tomorrow.

* * *

Sakura immediately figured out the genjutsu on the floor, and then basically shouting it out for the whole hall to hear in her excitement. While Naruto gave compliments of "Wow, Sakura-chan! You are so awesome, figuring that one out!", Sasuke gave her a deadpan expression and said, "You _do_ know you just blurted the secret out in front of everyone, right?" Sakura punched both of them. Naruto, for sucking up, and Sasuke, for just being _Sasuke_.

But, all in all, things were starting out well for them. Neither of his teammates recognized it, of course, but the "bullies" who tried to block the front door were actually Chuunin proctors in Henge. When Sasuke looked back through the dispersing crowd, the "bullies" were already gone. Guess he never suspected such a thing in his youth.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura weaved through the sea of Genins together, all of them eager for what was to come. It was when the blonde was busy shouting out declarations of "Oh yeah! No one can beat us now!" (never would he once suspect the horror of written exams that laid in front) when suddenly a voice cut through the noisy chattering.

"Uchiha-san!"

Sasuke froze in his steps automatically, mind running at a frantic pace at the dangerous possibilities that created chaos in his mind. The boy had avoided the streets all week after the day Kakashi told them about the Chuunin Exams as to avoid any foreign Kumo-nins who might've recognized him.

It is dangerous to face an unknown opponent, but even more dangerous to have an unrecognizable enemy who knew all about you. A ninja must always be prepared.

It was only natural for him to tense, muscles ready to spring at this unknown Genin. But somehow, the voice sounded familiar—

He whirled around.

In front of the three stood a black, bowl-cut hair boy wearing a green, _green_ spandex suit.

Of course. It was Maito Gai's student, Rock Lee. His eerie black eyes stared unblinkingly at Sasuke.

An awkward silence followed. Naruto had his usual line-eyed, puzzled expression on his face. Sakura tilted her head at the newcomer questioningly.

Sasuke . . . glared.

"Sorry," Sakura finally cut in the staring contest that ensued between Sasuke and Lee. "Sai-kun is not here right now. We're in his team. We can take a message, if you like." Behind her smiling face, Sasuke could tell that she was twitching. Indeed, even Naruto was unable to suppress his obvious fascination with that thick _eyebrow_.

Slowly, Lee's eyes rolled over to Sakura. He looked at Team Kakashi up and down. Sasuke was just about to pummel him for checking Sakura out (what? She was going to do it _anyway_. He was just being a good teammate), when . . .

"Oh sweet maiden!" he grasped both of her hands. The kunoichi looked from shocked to horrified with a what-the-heck-is-this-guy-doing look, but trying hard to smile all the same. "Oh fair blossom! In the name of youth, what, may I ask, is your name?"

There were more than a few people staring at them now. Sakura was beginning to grow uncomfortable and murderous. Naruto, reading his teammate's mind, restrain her by the arms just as her hands balled into fists at Lee's "generous spacing between your hair and brows". Clearly the guy never learned the first thing about Sakura.

"Excuse me," Sasuke interrupted, stepping between his teammates and the youth, "but we're leaving now, if you have nothing else to say."

Lee turned to look at him. "Uchiha-san—"

"Hey, hey!" Naruto interrupted. "No one's named Uchiha here! Sai's not with us, we told you already!"

"My name," Sasuke enunciated clearly, as though it physically hurt him to say the words, "is Sasuke. The Uchiha you are looking for is not here."

"Oh," Lee said brightly. "Sasuke-san, then. I heard that you possess the Sharingan—"

Something inside Sasuke snapped.

"Is this your stupid strategy of getting us disqualified, or are you really that dim? Stop asking these questions."

With that, he stalked off through the halls.

Sasuke didn't say a single thing, even when he saw Kakashi. While the Jounin talked, he flashed a stern and concerned look to Sasuke, telling him to take care of himself, and—more importantly—to avoid confrontations with Cloud.

Their spirits were considerably heightened, even though the blonde and the pinkette were still confused about his sudden burst of temper.

They entered the classroom, Naruto in the middle. Genins were everywhere, from all major shinobi villages of all ages. The Rookie Nine (they changed it from "Eight" to "Nine" when Sasuke arrived) were there (Ino seemed paler than usual, perhaps it was the injury she had to recover from), staring at the last team of the group, as were (to Sasuke's annoyance) Team Gai (Lee had enough sense not to flirt with Sakura again).

"Hey, look who's finally arrived!" Kiba Inuzuka jumped forward from a table. Akamaru barked along with his master. "Seems like all of us had come. Who would've thought that was possible, with Naruto here?"

"Hey! Just what do you mean by that!"

As soon as they started talking, Sasuke lost interest in the conversation. His eyes strayed around the room, trying to find some potential threats (unlikely as it seemed), when—

"Kabuto!"

He heard Naruto and Kiba's idiotic bickering quiet as everyone in the room turned and stared.

But Sasuke cared for none of that. He glowered at the man in anger—how dare Kabuto show his face here?

Shock, anger, disbelief, murderousness—those were the emotions that he felt in that brief second. Kabuto . . . how was this possible? He thought Orochimaru wouldn't bother them anymore! Wasn't the Invasion of Konoha already done and nullified? Wasn't that snake's goal achieved with Sai's Curse Mark?

"Yes?"

The traitor was all smiles, gently ignoring the staring Genins around them. Looking at his face, Sasuke couldn't help but remember all those times he'd seen Kabuto in Orochimaru's lair. The bespectacled snake, slithering beside its master. That Leaf symbol on Kabuto's headband—it was an insult to Konohagakure.

Seeing that the boy wasn't going to respond, the silver-haired boy continued, "Have we met before? I didn't know I was so famous, even in Konoha." He pushed his glasses up. "May I ask why you have called my name, Sasuke-san?"

The mention of his name was supposed to faze him, like how a lowly Genin should. (He'd probably been eavesdropping on them the moment they entered, that sly bastard.) But what he had said was true . . . Sasuke shouldn't have known this person. Kabuto already suspected that he knew something. He couldn't blow his cover, not if he wanted to stay in this village.

There was something Sasuke had to see. Choosing to ignore this hateful man and his comments, Sasuke allowed his eyes to roam across the room. His outburst had attracted quite an attention—unwanted attention. But he could also see the Genin's faces easier this way. Many, including his teammates, were glaring at him, some smugly and some in suspicion. There was nothing to worry about them, though. A ninja who showed his emotion so readily was no ninja at all, and he knew for a fact that most of these people were getting out within thirty minutes of the exam. No. What he was looking for . . . and he found them.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

There, along the windows, were the Sound Genins, the Oto insignia eerily familiar. Kin Tsuchi, Zaku Abumi, Dosu Kinuta. They were amongst the smirking ones, confident that this was just another newbie they could take down in ten seconds. Then, his eyes paused behind a window, there were the Sand Siblings, sitting in a corner. He recognized Temari and her fan, Kankuro's bizarre facial markings, and Gaara's cold, stony eyes that seemed to bore a hole through his head. Looking around, Sasuke found even more faces that he recognized from Sand and Sound's joint attack on Konoha, even the Grass ninjas that were going to be assassinated for Orochimaru's disguise. His face paled ever-so-slightly.

This may be a coincidence. The arrivals of Sand and Sound might have been decided by mere chance. But Sasuke couldn't lie to himself.

The future that he'd been ignorant, so foolishly ignorant, of, it was piecing together already—

Konoha was about to be invaded.

Again.

* * *

How could he have been so stupid to think that, once Orochimaru got his hands on Sai, he would leave Leaf alone? How was he so stupid that he actually believed this? It was too dangerous. It was hopeless. There was only one solution: they would have to drop out of the Chuunin Exams.

Sasuke had not been able to focus on the written portion of the exam at all. This dilemma seemed to prohibit him from thinking. He could remember with such clarity, of the deaths and destruction each ninja caused, of the innocent bystanders' screams in dreadful horror. Gaara's smile, merging with the One-Tail. Naruto charging daringly (but at the same time foolishly) at the Shukaku. He himself, lying helpless on the tree branch while Sakura got crushed to death— There was no way he would put them through that all over again.

His eye caught some movement in the corner of his vision. Kankuro and a strange-looking Chuunin proctor were walking out the door. Ibiki announced the ten-minute limit for the test, and time for the last question.

But . . . as much as he wanted to run away, he couldn't. Sasuke knew he couldn't. Last time, the Shukaku had only been stopped because of Naruto. It was unavoidable. Take the risk, or the Leaf dies.

Sacrifice his own teammate, or jeopardize thousands' lives?

Kankuro returned. Ibiki began to explain the "rules" of the last question. Cries of outrage could be heard as the scarred man talked. Sasuke stared at him blankly, his thoughts too loud to understand what the man was saying.

As much as he hated to admit it, the Sasuke at the current level could not beat Gaara. Painful outcomes of the invasion hovered over him, while the death of his friends taunted from the other side.

A perfect solution was a fool's dream.

Staring down at his paper, completely unfilled except for his name (the starting of aう, "u", smeared in the corner), Sasuke dimly registered the happy cries of Genins as Ibiki announced their passing.

He would just have to trust in Naruto and Sakura. He would do everything he could to make history repeat. Because . . .

"Is danger something you can run away from?"

. . . No.

* * *

**~.*.~**

* * *

Sakura wasn't exactly sure what to do with Sasuke.

On one hand, this was probably normal behavior for him to act so . . . emo. But on the other, she knew him better than that. Even Naruto noticed too, with his very "subtle" way of asking what's wrong as in "Hey, Sasuke, teme! What's with _that_ face? Your puppy died?".

The Cloud boy wasn't exactly emotionless . . . more like he wanted you to think he was. Sasuke scowled, glared, raised eyebrows, smirked, and (very rarely) smiled. He wasn't blank like her Sai-kun. He was just really, really jerk-like.

But she liked him.

Despite his asshole-ness, Sasuke did have some admirable traits. He was pretty brave (not as brave as Sai-kun, though), he was pretty good at ninjutsu (ha! But Sai-kun could beat him _any day_), he was trustworthy (well . . .), and when he wasn't being such a jerk all the time, he was nice to her. He knew the right things to say (though sometimes she wondered if he even knew it), like how he had comforted her before the Chuunin Exams (_'When Sai-kun wasn't there to!'_ Her Inner huffed). Not that she was vain or anything (that was Ino-pig's job), but Sasuke was good-looking enough to fetch him a number of girls (strangely enough, there were already reports of Sai fangirls catfighting against Sasuke's fangirls at the Academy...). And, although he could be as childish as Naruto at times, Sasuke gave off an air of maturity and safeness, even when she first saw him. Though Sakura wasn't sure if she had imagined it, since she couldn't feel it once they were more familiar with each other.

Most of all, the Sasuke she knew was always composed, always confident of himself to some extent, no matter how freaky the situation was.

Not now. The girl snuck another look at the raven-haired boy in front of her. Ever since they came out of the Written Exams yesterday, something about him seemed . . . off. It was like his inner calm cracked. But that made no sense. The Written Exam was mind-numbing and psychologically frustrating, but it was nothing compared to what they—he, especially—had experienced in Waves. Morino was hard, yes, but Zabuza was ten times scarier with that gigantic sword of his.

Every now and then, Sasuke jerked his head around to glance at the people beside him, his eyes landing especially on a trio from the Sand, a team containing that man Kabuto, and another from—what was its name again? Oh, right—Otogakure. His face was carefully devoid of emotion. Even his movements were made to seem like a casual look-around, for the others who might be suspicious of him.

But, che, she was his teammate. Of course she knew better than the "others". His eyes were too wide, his behavior too jumpy. His stance was a tad too defensive. He acted like a little boy guilty of stealing cookies.

What was he trying to hide?

Inner Sakura agreed with her. '_What is with this guy!' _her split-personality mentally shouted._ 'STOP ACTING LIKE YOU HAVE NO BALLS! Freakin' Sasuke.'_

Anko Mitarashi, their proctor for this stage, finished her speech about the Forest of Death and put away her map. Now she held up two scrolls—Heaven, labeled with 天, and Earth, 地—and explained even more rules.

Midway through the explanations, the woman said something that ticked Naruto off. The blonde huffed and, with his hands on hips, began a humiliating dance in front of all the Genins.

"_Anko says the forest is dangerous_," he said in a terrible mimic while twisting his hips. Sakura wanted to smack him. "_Scary things will eat us, she says. People will come get us, she says. We'll pee our pants like little babies, she says._ Well," he said in the normal voice, "that's too bad, 'cause I ain't chickening out. Believe it, woman!"

His teammate slapped a hand on her forehead.

The woman only smiled. Sakura flinched. The smile was creepy and mocking and sadistic and _happy_ about being sadistic, a kind of feline grin that a cat would give before a mouse. A kunai appeared from the proctor's sleeve—and Anko hurled it straight at Naruto.

Sakura barely stifled her gasp before she noticed that the kunai had only grazed his cheek. But it wasn't over yet. In a flash, the purple-haired woman materialized behind the blonde. Her hand reached up to touch the cut briefly, the smile never leaving.

"Think you can handle it?" Anko whispered. "Think you're fast enough to get away, strong enough to survive?"

Then Sasuke suddenly stiffened beside her, his face paling even more. Another kunai dropped from the Chuunin proctor's sleeve, which she caught and whirled around, ready to defend herself—

It was her other, discarded weapon. A Grass-nin held it for Anko . . . with her tongue.

_Ew_. How _unnatural_.

"You really shouldn't be standing so close to me like this," Anko advised cheerfully.

The other woman tipped her straw hat. "I'm sorry." Her voice was thin and slithery and . . . somehow unnatural. Sakura shivered again, looking around at the other Genins. They seemed to find it rather unsettling also, all stepping away from the snake woman. "But the sight of your kunai slicing through the air with his blood—it was so exhilarating for me, I couldn't help it . . ."

That... was disgusting.

Strangely, Sasuke seemed even more affected by this than she was. His whole form trembled, curling forward (like in a stomachache), with his right hand reaching almost subconsciously up to his neck . . . and do what? What was causing Sasuke to behave this way? This certainly exceeded the normal ninja's case of nerves.

Was he afraid?

She glanced around. No one was paying attention.

Perhaps it had something to do with Naruto. Was the boy afraid for his friend's safety? But . . . No. The fear he was showing . . . It was self-preservation, like a personal defense of a prey against a predator. Sasuke wasn't even looking at Naruto, but at the ground, looking close to hyperventilation.

A fear . . . a phobia, perhaps . . . Maybe something to do with his past? A fear of creepy snake people?

As much as she hated to admit, she didn't understand Sasuke that well. But . . . if they weren't friends, they were teammates, at least, right? So Sakura reached out and held his hand.

It wasn't cold, like she'd expected. His hand was warm.

At his surprised glance, she huffed. "Stop fidgeting. There's nothing to be _afraid_ of, scaredy-cat."

He looked scandalous. "I'm not scared."

* * *

"ALRIGHT YOU MAGGOTS! The second phase of the Chuunin Exam starts . . ."

It was five seconds of tense, anticipated silence. Sakura's hand was already reaching her hip pouch. _Here goes—_

"NOW!"

_Click!_ went the tiny metal lock. All around them, Sakura could hear various groups of ninja burst through the wired fence.

They walked into the forest, leaving sunshine and safety behind. Naruto strolled confidently in front, with his other two friends behind.

Once inside the gates, Team 7 felt the reality and safeness of the outside world fade away into the wild jungle arena. Gnarly tree branches entwined with vines and moss and other unidentifiable things. Sunlight barely penetrated the thick cover of leaves, giving the already eerie forest a ghostly feel.

They were in the Forest now, where no rules or restrictions bound them. This was what ninjas were trained to do: Survive. It was the feeling of the faint adrenaline buzz and the exciting feeling of independence, but at the same time invulnerability—trusting in her own weapons and reflexes—that Sakura loved and feared the most about being a ninja.

The first thing Naruto did in the Forest of Death was pee.

"Idiot!" Sakura shouted, swinging her fist over his head. She pointed away to the side. "Don't do that in front of me. Go to a bush or something!"

"No."

"What?" She whirled around to face the dark-haired boy, who rolled his eyes.

"No," Sasuke repeated. Strangely, his Sharingan was already activated, flicking restlessly around the jungle.

"Why?" she asked with a hand on her hip, faintly annoyed. _She_ didn't want to see Naruto doing his business.

A small smirk curved his lips (Inner Sakura squealed: _"So hot!"_; Outer bashed Inner over the head for being disloyal to Sai-kun), a contrast to the trembling boy she'd seen earlier. Sasuke put a finger to his mouth and simultaneously plucked a kunai from his holster.

Sakura realized what happened immediately and grabbed a kunai too. A confused Naruto was still holding his pee, jumping around the place.

"_To_ begin with," he said, eyes traveling around the foliages, "_the_ first thing: if Naruto _left_, the rest won't be able to find each other. _In_ fact, not even _thirty_ men can, to certain _degrees_. _Right_?"

Sakura almost scoffed. Word emphasis, the easiest shinobi code ever.

To. The. Left. In. Thirty. Degrees. Right.

Her emerald orbs drifted left, zeroing in on the shadow behind the bushes . . .

"Oi, teme! What the heck are you talking about?"

She caught Sasuke's gaze. He nodded.

"Now."

The kunai in her hand disappeared in a flurry of movement. Her teammate jumped into the air, disappearing into the darkness. Surprised, their enemy yelped loudly from his hiding spot.

Not waiting to catch her breath, Sakura grabbed Naruto's collar and yanked him away, behind some shrubbery. The blonde only gave a strangled half-protest—before the spot he'd been standing covered with red-hot flames.

_Well,_ Sakura thought with a hint of pride, _Sasuke's tree-burning has some use after all._

A silhouette flitted above her—Sakura caught the image of a boy with underwater breathing devices. A red welt was on his shoulder. He was dashing away, muttering a gurgled, "This was a mistake . . ."

And then Sasuke appeared in front of her—almost scaring the girl half to death. He was trying to pursue the intruder, his eyes a murderous red.

All senses of reassurance left Sakura. Something was wrong with her teammate.

She laid a hand on Sasuke's left shoulder. He recoiled at her touch. Instantly, she drew back, a little hurt and more than a bit confused.

"Don't—"

"What was that guy doing there?" Naruto suddenly asked, clueless.

Sakura's eye twitched. Blame her for not being able to keep a straight face. "Idiot! He was trying to seek you out and steal the scroll!"

The Heaven scroll was hidden safely with Sasuke. Before they entered the Forest of Death, she'd casted a simple genjutsu to make it look like a normal scroll.

"You see why we can't separate now, Sakura?"

It was Sasuke who spoke now. His tone was reproachful and calm. However, his eyes—dark obsidian black—betrayed his fear.

The boy was like a puzzle, the girl realized, but there were missing pieces. What was he doing? His actions suggested that he was focused and knew what he did—but Sakura remembered his almost-breakdown earlier. And the fact that if she hadn't stopped him, Sasuke would've killed the Rain boy (only those weirdos would have oxygen masks like that) only proved how unfocused he was.

Seeing her probing gaze, Sasuke looked away. "We have to go," he said. "The smoke will attract attention from the other teams."

"Um . . . sure . . ." Naruto said, eyes darting between his two teammates.

Sakura's response, however, surprised even herself.

"No."

The Sharingan-user paused in his steps. He gave Sakura a glare. "No?"

A vein in her head twitched. "No! Of course not!" She poked a finger at his chest. "You, sir, need to tell us exactly what is happening with you, why you're hiding it, and—most importantly—_what_ you're hiding, because you clearly know something we don't."

"What makes you think that?" he said coldly. A ninja less than Sakura would've flinched from his indifference. But she didn't.

"I can't trust you, then, Sasuke."

Now _he_ almost flinched. Seeing her advantage, Sakura pressed on, "What do you know that we don't?"

"Hey, guys—"

"Why do you need to know?"

"Because we are your teammates! I don't understand! What are you so afraid of? Ever since you entered the Written Exams there's something wrong with you."

"There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Well, you certainly don't act like it, scaredy-cat!"

Sasuke's eyes were murderous. "You have no idea—"

"BECAUSE YOU DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING!" she exploded.

"YOU DON'T KNOW ME!" Sasuke shouted back.

"MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE SUCH AN ARROGANT BASTARD!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT MY PAST! IT'S NOT LIKE—"

"Guys, I have enough!" Naruto suddenly said. "Kage Buushin no Jutsu!"

Twenty Narutos appeared in midair, landing on his teammates. Both tried to fight their way out, but the two were so angry the emotion messed with their heads. In a minute, the boy and girl were tied up and motionless.

Twelve of the clones were dismissed, leaving four each to carry his two teammates. They managed to get away before another team found them, which was a miracle by itself.

Once they were a mile or so away, Naruto dismissed the rest of his clones. He took a look at both of his friends.

Sakura seemed unusually silent when she was released from her bounds, choosing to sit beside a tree. Sasuke, on the other hand, was positively fuming, and standing as far away from the pink-haired girl as possible. Fearing a crisis, Naruto quickly intervened.

"This is not good for our teamwork."

"Hn," the boy grunted.

"I know," Sakura whispered.

Naruto knew he could count on her to have the most sense.

Then she glared at Sasuke. "If _he_ would just stop _PMSing_ and _tell us_ what's wrong, it'll all be resolved."

"I—"

"Stop it!" The two quickly fell into silence, but both of them were still looking as if they wanted to murder each other. Naruto wanted to scream. He wasn't supposed to be the peacemaker! It was always him and Sasuke arguing, or him and Sai. Sakura was always, always suppose to be the one that stopped them. What had he said about Sakura and sense again? "This—is—just—stupid—! We are in the middle of the freakin' _Forest of Death_! Sasuke, stop being such a bitch and get your act together. Sakura-chan . . . I seriously thought you had more sense than that. We don't have time for this." Was he the only one who knew that?

After some time, both nodded, rather reluctantly.

"Alright," Naruto said, surprised by his own show of leadership. _Must be some kind of hidden Hokage potential,_ he thought to himself happily. Overhead, a group of birds (possibly crows) flew across the sky.

"Now we need to make camp at—"

WHOOSH!

A huge blast of wind, like a sideway cyclone, appeared in the middle of nowhere, blowing away everything in its path. Naruto and Sasuke were able to leap away in time, but the Sakura wasn't so lucky.

"SAKURA!" they both shouted as the bright mop of pink was swept away. A few seconds later, she sunk under the mess of branches and debris.

"Shit . . ."

Beside Naruto, Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and dove in.

For any other person, the attempt would seem like a suicidal attempt to save Sakura, but, heck, they were _ninjas_. Everything was suicidal for them.

So, without a word, the blonde followed his best friend.

* * *

**~.*.~**

* * *

Sasuke of Konoha, the man (boy, whatever) with the plan, had a very perceptive mind. He was intelligent, and certainly strong as a shinobi. Added with the Sharingan, he was, no doubt, the best Genin in Leaf.

Of course, with this perceptive mind, he was also very quick-thinking and witty. Forming battle plans within the milliseconds of milliseconds was his specialty. Emotionless as he was, Sasuke would never, ever let his feelings interfere with a mission.

He was smart, he was fast, he was powerful. He was everything a ninja should be.

_Bull_. _Shit_.

Right now Sasuke was only too aware of his impotence, his youth, his naiveté, his absolute idiocy. He had let a moment of indignity blind him to the task at hand. He had let his "self-righteous" anger rule his thoughts. But worse of all, his anger was not directed at himself, or his enemy, but at his own teammates. To think, that he would've attacked her in the rage that possessed him, would've killed her and Naruto without a second thought. That possibility alone disgusted him.

He was a monster. He didn't deserve their friendship.

The jutsu, Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, was the first sign that Orochimaru was coming. Sakura had been caught in it. Last time, Naruto survived, but . . . Sakura wasn't a Nine-Tail host like the blonde. She was a tiny, fragile human being. What were the chances of her living after the attack?

He couldn't bear the thought of her dying. He'd already lost her once . . .

So he dove into the wind current, hoping to save her. And his plan? What plan! Sakura was going to die. Did he need to spell that out?

The sensation of rolling into a sideway-cyclone was nothing like flying. Sure, there is that brief moment of stomach-lurching and sense of being airborne—but then your body gets carried away by the wind current. Basically, you get slammed onto the ground, rolled on your stomach, and back, and stomach, and back. Visibility is close to zero, with all the leaves and dust and branches knocking you around. Your movement is non-controllable. Any second, you are in danger of poking your eyes out with your own fingers.

Sasuke, though, being the ninja that he was, managed grabbed a kunai and anchored himself onto the ground as a handhold.

Then, all of a sudden, there was silence. The wind calmed, leaving a giant crater in the middle of the ground. Sasuke lifted his head up shakily, and saw Sakura, a few feet in front of him, lying on the floor with Naruto standing over her, grinning like an idiot. Both of his teammates seemed unharmed except for a few scratches and scrapes.

_Dammit_, he thought to himself. So Naruto had gotten to her faster than him? Guess jumping into that thing wasn't really needed . . .

"Sasuke, teme! I got her!"

"How is she?" He rose to his feet unsteadily, limping towards his blonde friend.

Sakura's eyes were closed, with a slight frown on her face and messed up hair that she would've screeched loudly about normally . . . if she was alive. Sasuke immediately fell on his knees, checking her breathing, testing her pulse and all her vitals.

"She's fine. Just caught off guard, that's all," Naruto said reassuringly (who knew he could be helpful for once?). "Sakura-chan will wake up soon. First though, teme, we have to take her to somewhere safe. It's—"

_Poof!_

Bewildered, Sasuke spun around, and found the place the blonde had stood enveloped by smoke. Naruto disappeared.

A Shadow Clone? Yes, it did seem a lot like something the dobe would do—but why did he disengage it? Naruto had plenty of chakra. Surely he didn't—

Below her, Sakura began to stir. Instinctively (for _of course_ he blamed instincts), he reached down and held her hand.

Her brows furrowed.

"Wake up, Sakura."

"Sa . . . Sasuke?" Her eyes snapped open. She sat straight up. "What happened? Where's—?"

A rustle. The boy scrambled to his knees, in front of Sakura, ready to face whoever that was. Ignoring that ringing headache (must've hit his head earlier), Sasuke grasped two kunai and criss-crossed them in front in a protective crouch. He would allow no one to touch her . . .

It was only Naruto. The blonde gave a sheepish smile, a hand on his neck.

He relaxed his stance. "Naruto." At least he didn't break Iruka's promise. Not that he had been _worrying_ about the dobe, or anything.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed. "You are _so_ stupid! You could've _died_!"

"Sorry, Sakura." The blond gave an apologetic smile. "My Clone couldn't hold long after that jutsu-thing. Blasted that chakra right outta me." He rolled his shoulders. "Kuso . . . Man, that was painful. We should leave now before another team catches up with us. That won't be good . . ."

Sasuke didn't even wait for him to finish.

_Whish—Clang!_

"Stop fucking talking."

"Sasuke! What are you doing! Why'd you . . . ?" Her voice faltered. "Sasuke . . . ?" Sakura called uncertainly.

The boy's face was hidden in his bangs, with Naruto stared at him in a stunned, open-mouthed look, his fingers tight around his weapon. Two discarded kunai lay in the center.

"What was that fo—"

"Who are you," he lifted his head from the shadows, staring straight into "Naruto's" eyes, "and what have you done with Uzumaki Naruto?"

Shadow covered half of the blonde boy's face, twisting his childish feature into something darker, more sinister. Something in Sasuke's gut, like a forgotten piece of memory, told him to run away as fast as possible, as soon as possible. But he didn't. Logic overrode intuition and told him there was nothing to be afraid of.

"How did you know?" The voice was cold and slimy, with a sibilant hiss to them. It sounded all wrong with Naruto's face.

The sensation in his gut tugged harder. Nevertheless, Sasuke answered, hoping that he could stall long enough to get information on his friend, or for Sakura to take the chance and run.

"It was easy," he said smoothly, hoping to aggravate the enemy (even though something told him this strategy wouldn't work in this particular case). "First of all, that idiot rarely addresses me by my name. He doesn't say 'sorry' to me. He insults me and I insult him back. That itself is a dead giveaway.

"Second, when you arrived, you paid no immediate attention to Sakura. The real Naruto doesn't do that." He felt his own voice rising with his anger. "The real Naruto always, always puts his teammates first. No one can copy that.

"Lastly, the two kunai I threw. It was too fast for any Genin, let alone Naruto, to block. There was no way you could've defended yourself so easily. All in all, you are not the real Naruto."

The Naruto fraud merely smiled. "What if your inferences were incorrect? You would've killed your teammate."

Sasuke had to smirk, despite the situation. "Naruto has never been the tallest Genin," he recalled, lips forming once more into a cold, hard line. "I aimed the kunai an inch higher than your head. If Naruto did not defend himself, it would've passed over his hair without a scratch. He would not be harmed. However," he said, pivoting his heel to get a better position, "for a man who'd just transformed, whose body did not yet adjust to the height and perspective of the person being impersonated, it is only natural for the body to react in a defensive manner. That is, to block the attack even though the conscious mind knew it was harmless. Now," his eyes flashed red, "answer me. Where. Is. _Naruto_?"

There was a brief moment of silence, then the man did something that was completely unexpected.

He laughed.

"Kukuku . . ." The man threw his head back and continued laughing in that strange, yet awfully familiar sound . . . The skin on the back of Sasuke's neck crawled with fear and disgust. "My, my . . . Looks like the prey isn't so helpless after all."

_Poof!_ Once more, the figure of Naruto was enveloped in smoke. Yet the laughing continued . . .

"Now, now." Through the smoke, one yellow, reptilian eye appeared. Memories crashed into Sasuke like a freight train. Beside him, Sakura tense in sudden, intense fear that the man seemed to give. He balanced an Earth scroll on his fingertips. "Let's try this again, shall we, Sasuke-kun?"

Orochimaru.

* * *

**A/N:** Huh. A cliffhanger. -evil smile-

Now, some last minute notes before we leave off:

The memory-loss isn't as obvious this time because it wasn't as obvious to him. The amount of memory lost corresponds to the pain he feels.

And, yeah. Sasuke is in full-out regret-mode. I think it has something to do with psychology (it seemed that all bad guys feel extremely guilty after they turn good and such). It's character development :). I made a chart. The Bad-Guy-Turn-Good-Guy-Chart-Theory-Thing goes like: evil - regretful - accepting - more social - possibly happy?

Also: Question time! When Shikamaru uses the Shadow Possession Jutsu, does the opponent mirror his moves (as in, he raises left hand, he/she raises right hand) or copies it as it is (raises left hand, opponent raises left hand)?

(Thank you, reviewer **x . Sasu . Saku . x**, (remove spaces) for telling me about Lady Gaga's fundraiser (I read it somewhere too but can't remember where). "We Pray For Japan" wristbands are sold online for $5 each and can be bought from Lady Gaga's online shop. Funds from this help Japan's efforts against the earthquake!)


	9. Courage! Team 7 Against Sound!

**Disclaimer: Naruto is to Kishimoto Masashi as I am to nothing. Kishimoto owes Naruto. I owe nothing. :)**

**A/N:** Oh my goodness. For all of you who'd read the last chapter, a sincere apologize to you. I read it through and, wow. Repetition of words, everywhere. The whole chapter basically unedited. -bows- Really, really sorry for that mess. I'm getting it fixed ASAP.

Now, a few things to note:

1) Flashbacks are now noted by the italicized first paragraph and last paragraph. The rest is normal. Reading flashbacks in italics is an eyesore...  
2) Sai won't appear for a while now, since he doesn't attend the Chuunin Exams. But I'll try to have him mentioned in some thoughts or dialogues. He is a main character after all.

Advertising time. :) I've finally gotten up the guts to post _Fragmented Remains_, a sister-fic of SNU. You can find it in my profile. FR is basically the extended flashback scenes in SNU, except Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto don't "die" (at least not as same as SNU). So... check it out? It'll explain some stuff. :D

On another note, thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really hope you don't get bored by this insistent babbling. :) Over seventy reviews! I've never expected SNU to come this far.

* * *

9. Courage! Team 7 Against Sound!

A wave of nausea threatened to knock Sasuke to his knees. He could feel it, in the pit of his stomach, that ominous pull that drowned out all of his senses and thoughts.

Fear.

_RUN!_ cried the primal part of his brain.

But he couldn't move. The desperate plea in his mind—the rational side of his thoughts now—seemed somehow disconnected from his senses. He couldn't do anything: couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't speak. He could barely breathe from the suffocating sense of fright. Like the canary in a snake's eye.

It seemed that, even after he had personally killed this man himself, Orochimaru still had the same frightening effect.

The man didn't even bother with his fake skin this time. Sasuke could see, all too well, Orochimaru's pale skin and slitted yellow eyes.

"Can't move?" The Sannin's sinister hiss slithered into his numb mind. "Well, that is _such_ a pity. It is _so_ rare that I get to be entertained by a pair of Genins. And what beautiful, beautiful eyes you have too." _Move, you idiot. MOVE!_ "But, alas, I already have Sai-kun." Orochimaru held up two kunai almost mockingly in front. "Relax... This will be over soon. But then again..." His eyes flashed, "you already know that, don't you?"

Sasuke's grip on his kunai tightened. The coarse handle of the weapon seemed like his lifeline to staying sane.

Orochimaru's hand flicked forward in slow motion.

He watched as it came closer, closer...

He couldn't move.

* * *

"Naruto!" Sakura's voice gasped out behind him.

Sasuke opened his eyes. His blonde friend was there, as orange as ever, in front of the two Genins.

Two kunai stuck on the boy. Several bloody splotches on the ground. Sasuke watched, absolutely paralyzed by fear.

Naruto managed a tight grin. "Y-you said so yourself. Those who ab-bandon t-teammates are worse th-than scum. I-I am not—"

"_I'll help him... He's my teammate."_

The boy collapsed on the ground.

"Naruto!"

There was some kind of sticky goo around his fallen comrade. That and the acrid smell in the air told Sasuke that it was acid. Stomach acid. Mostly likely from a snake.

"He's fine." At least, Sasuke hoped so. Naruto was about five feet in front of them, but Sasuke didn't dare to move for fear of Orochimaru. "Looks like a snake had swallowed him." How had he come out alive?

He'd broken his promise to Iruka... He'd let Naruto take the hit that was supposedly _his_.

He was a failure.

"Kukuku..." the Snake Sannin chuckled, the Earth scroll still balanced precariously—almost mockingly—on his fingers. "Looks like the third member of the team appears. The Kyuubi's host. I would've thought the others finished him off already. And... Did the boy just sacrifice his life for you? Admirable, really, and foolish. Seeing how I am about done with you anyway."

_Dammit, Sasuke. Think of everything logically..._

Three shuriken flew past. At that second, perhaps it was the battlefield adrenaline, or perhaps it was seeing Naruto leaping across the clearing—the binds around his feet... broke.

Sasuke dodged the kunai, and then saw that... it wasn't heading for him at all, but for Sakura, still shell-shocked from her teammate's collapse.

"Sakura! Stay back!"

She seemed to register his voice dimly. But when she took notice of the ninja stars that were heading for her, it was too late to dodge.

_Cling_—_clang!_

Sasuke forfeited the kunai in his hand. Orochimaru's shurikens flew off-course from the collision, but it still hit Sakura on the cheek. She did nothing but stare at him in horror.

That sick bastard said something else, and gave a small titter.

_He is too strong! _Sasuke thought frantically when Orochimaru's head snapped him in the heels, neck extended by a reptilian-mimic jutsu.

_Calm down. You cannot fight the enemy when you have to fight your own mind._

_That is extremely ironic coming from you. I hope you know that._

_Just stay calm. Panic is the first step to defeat. Focus is the key to everything._

Orochimaru disappeared then reappeared with a snake as his steed. Frustrated, Sasuke hurled three more of his weapons before jumping back. Retreat was pointless, but he hoped that the rest of his team would at least get out alive. The snake reared its head to avoid them, and shot down, teeth bearing.

Sasuke threw another kunai, this time with an explosive tag attached, hoping to at least stall for some time. But his opponent, seeing his trick, ducked.

The trees behind them blasted open with a temporary spell of fire and sparks.

_That bastard! He's toying with me! He didn't even use any of his jutsus yet. If things go like this..._

_Then use it to your advantage. If he is underestimating you, play it low-key, strike when he least expects it._

One of his stray shuriken was veering too much to the right, too close to...

"Dammit. NARUTO!" he roared. There was no way he could fight a battle like this and keep an eye on his teammates!

Another kunai came in his way. Remembering his first Exams, he balanced on one leg, molding chakra on his other foot. The kunai embedded on his soles. Sasuke slammed his hand on the ground and used the forward momentum (he was going to fall anyway) to shoot the kunai knife in the air. The two weapons met halfway, cancelling each other's force and leaving the unconscious Naruto safely out of harm's way.

_Tch. Even asleep he drags me down. _He smirked fondly.

However, that didn't stop Orochimaru's attacks.

_Remember, _the Voice said._ Teamwork._

"Sakura!" Sasuke yelled as he flipped backward from a volley of weapons he could no longer recognize. "Feudal lord wife's cat! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"A secret message?" Orochimaru remarked. "My, my. You aren't very creative, aren't you, Sasuke-kun?"

His secret message was vague to the extreme, but he knew Sakura could figure it out. Cat-finding had been one of the first missions they had ever done. The trick to catching that little beast was to surround it, and ambush, usually requiring three or more people at once. That was where the Buushins came: the more people the better. Hopefully Sakura was not that out of it to figure out what he meant. Another downside to his plan was, of course, that neither of the Genins mastered the technique yet.

_Trust in your teammates._

No time to ponder the possibilities. The snake lunged once more, but missed. Sensing an opportunity, Sasuke's fingers formed the familiar cross.

"Now!"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" they both shouted out at the same time.

Perhaps it was pure luck, or perhaps it was adrenaline. By some miracle, their Shadow Clones appeared, whole and without blemish. Six Sakuras crowded around her while the twenty Sasukes leapt into the air.

A pink-haired doppelganger charged at "the cat," Orochimaru's snake, as did a dozen Sasukes, from the ground and above. The man merely smiled—creepily—again.

"Brute force will get you nowhere," he hissed as the snake bit and squeezed the clones. "Only personal ingenuity—"

Smoke cleared, revealing the wires that were tied around the gigantic reptile. Before it could shed its skin or whatever, the real Sasuke grabbed the bundle of wires and whispered a small "Raiton."

Electric currents traveled down the thin cables. BOOM! Forces of the electricity, combined with pre-plant paper bombs, caused the nearby trees to shudder and quake. Many trees fell down on the ground, rousing dust and igniting flames.

Within seconds, the snake slumped on the ground, fried and dead.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in surprise. "Impressive..."

It wasn't over yet. With the twenty voices shouting, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!", adding to the growing flames. There was one that was louder than the rest—

Sparks and birds' chittering filled the air. It seemed that, even after so long, he still remembered his favorite technique...

"CHIDORI!"

Twitters and chirps stretched into sounds of screeching as Sasuke dove downwards...

He was sure he hit something, but couldn't tell if it was Orochimaru, or the ground.

He briefly remembered someone—most likely Sakura—carrying him off the ground (though, strangely, it didn't smelled much like her...). Then, a moment later, another feminine voice, which Sasuke could dimly recognize as _not Sakura's_, called out, angry and shrill:

"OROCHIMARU! YOU'RE NOT ESCAPING THIS TIME!"

Within seconds, Sasuke, unable to fathom a single thought, blacked out from chakra exhaustion.

* * *

_Make-shift campsites littered throughout the place that was once called Konohagakure no Sato. People, shinobi mostly, greeted Rokudaime with smiles, but scurried away in fear when they spotted Sasuke. Whispers, barely audible, made their way to his ears._

He sneered. _What a tainted place_, he thought to himself in disgust. This village was full of the guilty, corrupted, and deceitful. All living over his clan's sacrifice.

Sasuke's hand tightened around the handle of his sword. He would not allow it.

They arrived at the edge of the sea of tents, where the forest covered most of the terrain. There stood a lonely tent, though quite spacious compared to the other ones he'd seen. Wordlessly, the Uchiha slid in.

Surprisingly, there were no handcuffs or shackles, hidden traps or secret jutsus. Not that it would be any good against him.

Naruto did not back away. He instead leaned down through the overhanging flap of an entrance.

"Sasuke," he said, voice steady and commanding, "you know it doesn't have to be this way. The village—"

The Kusanagi was immediately at his throat. Sasuke knew when it was when Naruto started to preach. "The village follows _your_ command. They put a smile when they see you and whisper behind your back. The place that you call 'home' is the place that had _destroyed_ my clan." Three tomoe spun threateningly, longing to transform in the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. But he couldn't. He needed information on those bastard elders. He lowered the sword by half an inch. "Just because I agreed to come here doesn't mean we will become buddies. That time is over. That me is _dead_."

Nothing changed in Naruto's expression. Blue eyes were as determined as ever.

"I just want you to know that there is always another way to do things," the blond said, even with the blade at his neck.

Ah. So he knew about his intentions all along. Yet Naruto still brought him to Konoha?

"There is no other way. I will get my revenge. That is all there is to it."

"Sasuke—"

"Stop." A hand was placed on Naruto's shoulder.

Sasuke saw the blonde glance down at his feet, dejected, and moved shuffled his feet to the side.

Pink hair and green eyes appeared.

Sakura.

"It's not worth it." The girl turned to glare at the missing-nin. "It's not worth it to trust him."

He met her eyes with a steady gaze.

Naruto had still hoped fantastically that Team 7 would somehow go back to the way it was. Foolish. Sasuke had assumed the kunoichi thought so too, but apparently not. It seemed that even she, the girl who had told him she would do anything for, had given up. Two murder attempts were all it needed.

He smirked.

They stayed like that for a good moment or two, before Sakura turned away, her back to him.

"_He's not Sasuke. He is an Uchiha."_

* * *

**~.*.~**

* * *

From what she could tell, the place was dim, and possibly wet. It smelled of moss and damp in the air. The Forest of Death. Sakura felt a pang of disappointment when she realized that their meeting with the man wasn't a dream. Saying that she was "scared" was an understatement.

She had been knocked out a few seconds after Sasuke did his Katon-Buushin combo (it really was amazing, even if she didn't get to see the end of it). Judging by the throbbing ache, something had hit her on the forehead, which caused her blackout. Well, at least she was alive.

Sakura opened her eyes, and was met with a scene of darkness. It took her foggy brain a few seconds to recognize the mossy tree bark and the old vines that stretched across its surface. She was in the hollow of a tree.

Briefly she wondered if she had been taken prisoner, as impossible as that sounded. Who would want to take a little Genin who barely knew how to defend herself? At that thought, Sakura clenched her fist. Book smarts... was that really all she had been good for?

The girl sat up. A blanket fell from her chest. She checked her wrists, just to be sure. No handcuffs or binds. Sasuke must've saved her. Again.

There was light coming in the place. It came from the small hole in the bark, to her left, that served as an entrance. Blearily, she rose to her feet. Just how hard did that thing hit her head?

After crawling her way out, she arrived at a small clearing amongst the trees, where a small, cozy flame sat on a bed of branches. Beside the campfire was Naruto.

"Naruto!" She admitted that she was surprised that it was the blonde and not Sasuke. Rightfully so, though. Hadn't he been unconscious during the whole fight?

Naruto whipped his head around, face filled with worry. "Sakura-chan," he called, "come quick! I think something happened to Sasuke!"

Confused, she walked toward the boy. There, beside Naruto, was Sasuke, eyes closed and unmoving.

At first, nothing seemed wrong with him. It was just Sasuke sleeping. Then her eyes caught on other things, like how he seemed to tremble every other second or so, how he seemed even paler than usual. Seeing Sasuke in pain like this awakened something in her—it was almost like an instinct.

All traces of sleep vanished. Sakura put her hand on his forehead, testing for his temperature. It was cold, too cold for an average human being. Her eyes traveled down his torso. Several battle wounds cut through the flesh, bloody and easily infectious.

"Naruto, get some water from the river," she commanded, sterilizing some of the senbon over the campfire. She would have to sew his cuts up the crude way with the resources available. "Boil it over the fire just to make sure it's safe. But before that, bring me some cloth, preferably clean ones. I need to bandage Sasuke. And do this quickly," she added sternly, "set some traps around the place after you're done. Someone might attack us any minute."

Surprisingly, the blonde followed her orders without question. As he went, Sakura pulled out a thread from her red dress. It was dirty and stained with blood. Her blood, she realized. Memories of the encounter with the woman-who-turned-out-to-be-a-man ("Orochimaru"?) stilled her fingers.

_Damn it all_, she cursed in her mind, getting her fingers moving again. She had a person to save, for god sakes! There was no time for these thoughts.

Naruto soon arrived back at the clearing, informing her that the traps were already set. He handed her torn strips of cloth from his jumpsuit. She fingered the fabric briefly before throwing it inside the bucket of boiling water. That black cloth... it was part of Naruto's favorite suit.

Once Sakura sewed up Sasuke's more serious injuries, she bandaged him with washed (and dried) cloth. It was a little embarrassing when she had to lift Sasuke's shirt up. Even Naruto sniggered at that (and she thought the guy had a crush on her). But she made little mistakes, even with the little medical knowledge she possessed. It was more than any of her teammates, anyway.

"Naruto," she said after a while, teeth clenched. She bit off the piece of string and continued, "Naruto... what happened to you? Before Orochimaru came?"

"Who's that?"

She sighed in exasperation. "The guy who attacked us?"

He smiled a little smugly, pleased with himself. "I got swallowed by this giant snake, over a hundred feet long (and even bigger than _both_ of the bastards' egos combined, believe it, Sakura-chan). It smelled really horrible," he admitted. "That thing even melted the rice balls I'd brought for lunch! I had to summon 'bout fifty Shadow Clones—good thing I had enough chakra—and then the snake exploded."

Sakura's eyes widened. She briefly imagined herself in Naruto's place, swallowed by a gigantic monster, and realized that if it had been _her_—she would've been doomed. She had seen those things before.

"Oh. Then..." She didn't want to sound too impressed (god knew how pig-headed he would behave _then_). Sakura stopped midway in bandaging Sasuke's arm, when suddenly reminded of—

"Your shoulder!"

The boy looked confused. "What about it, Sakura-chan?"

She poked her finger toward his bare upper torso (he'd sacrificed his shirt for Sasuke's patch-up, and his jacket was soaking of snake stomach acid). "Orochimaru threw two kunai at—"

But when she looked at his shoulder, she found only a scar, as if the wound had healed days ago.

"I heal fast," he said quickly, face guilty.

She opened her mouth, then closed it, choosing not to press matters. She had more important things to discuss.

"Naruto..." she said quietly. "I'm worried about something."

"Huh? If it's your crush on Sasuke, I swear I won't—"

"Baka!" Her face was tinged pinked. She told herself that it was because she was appalled at the idea of being unfaithful to Sai-kun. But she didn't punch Naruto. "No! I want to tell you..." She hesitated. "When Sasuke was fighting, Orochimaru said something about Sai-kun."

Naruto instantly adopted a serious face. "What does the snake bastard want with Bastard?"

Normally, Sakura would punch him all the way to the Hokage Monument for such an insulting nickname. Now, however, wasn't the time.

"I don't know," she chose to answer instead. "His exact words were: 'What beautiful, beautiful eyes you have too. But, alas, I already have Sai-kun.'" She shivered slightly. What a disgusting pedophile.

Naruto's brows scrunched in concentration. "What does he mean by _that_? It's like—like he _owns_ Bastard or something..."

Then, it was at this moment that Sasuke chose this moment to wake up. He gave a low groan, blinking his eyes open. Sakura caught some Sharingan-red before the boy blinked again, this time in pain, turning back to black. He winced very, very slightly (like a muscle moving along his jaw).

"I stitched up some of your wounds," Sakura explained. When the boy started to rise, she smacked him down. "Don't get up yet. You're still healing."

"I am perfectly fine," he protested.

Sakura was just about to open her mouth to tell him that no, he was _not_ fine (didn't battling a snake man constitute to the category of _"not right"_?), and that she didn't want to be the one to sew all the stitches back on, when...

Something in the distance triggered Sakura's senses. It was a kunai. Not any kunai, however, and nor was it the enemies'. This kunai, along with twenty others, overhung from a close by branch, acted as a weight and was connected to one of the various traps set up by Naruto. If anything touched their traps at all, Team 7 would be warned.

The signal-kunai shifted again, this time being pulled upwards. Then, suddenly, it dropped on the ground. The trap it had been connected to was snapped.

The same weapon was instantly in her hand, head whipping around. Two other kunai dropped onto the grassy forest floor. This was no coincidence. Someone was deliberately disengaging their traps.

Her two other teammates caught it too. Again, Sasuke tried to sit up. This time, it was Naruto who smacked him down.

"That's—"

"No. There is no way I am going to redo those stitches for you again!" She crossed her arms and dared the boy to speak.

"Yeah! Teme will stay right here, won't you?"

His sharp face paled. "You don't know what you're dealing with!" he snapped. "Those are the—"

Sakura finally sighed. "Sasuke, I really, really hate to do this to you."

"—people who would k—"

Sasuke fell backward on Naruto's pack, eyes closed and unconscious.

"Ouch." Naruto grimaced. A blow on the neck wasn't a way you'd like to find yourself waking on a bench in the morning.

Sakura, however, was merciless. "He deserved that." She flung a blanket over the sleeping body. "After all... it's time for him to stop saving the day every time."

* * *

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, fingers forming a cross.

Five Kage Buushins appeared in puffs of smoke. All replicas grinned cheekily at the same time.

It was Sakura's idea to send out scouting clones. Although Naruto would rather go there himself (hiding behind clones was for _cowards_), he agreed that she had a point.

"Now what do we do?" the clone closest to him asked.

Sakura spoke, "Scout. Find anything suspicious, like enemy shinobi, traps, explosive tags, et cetera."

"And then, if we find them, do we get to beat them up?" the one behind said. The Narutos grinned again at the thought.

"Distract them for a bit." She paused for a moment. "Do something loud. It shouldn't be hard for you."

The doppelgangers straightened their backs and saluted. "Yes, Sakura-chan!" With that, they hurried off into the Forest.

It wasn't long before the noise reached their ears. It sounded less like fighting and more like a one-sided shouting match, courtesy of one handsome blond.

"You mongrels! How dare you step into Uzumaki-sama's—" The voice was cut off abruptly.

Naruto blinked as the clone's memory came back in forms of quick flashes. "They got one."

Sakura nodded. "Who are they?"

The blonde furrowed his brows in concentration. "It's that weird mummy guy. That fuzzy-lookin' one."

"Does he have a music note on his headband?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then that's Dosu Kinuta." Sakura slid her hitai-ate from her hair and over her forehead. "He's one of those guys from the new village."

"New village?"

Naruto noticed that Sakura was too tense to make even a haughty remark on his lack of knowledge. "Sound. Otogakure." She flicked a few strands of hair from her face, expression more determined than her friend had ever seen her. "Where did they come from?"

He jabbed his index finger somewhere to the east. "There."

The two nodded at the same time.

After a few minutes of jumping through the trees, Sakura and Naruto arrived at the point where the Buushin "died". Naruto blinked around a while, confirming his memory.

"Here?"

He shrugged. "Seems so."

The foliage behind them moved, rustling leaves traveling to their ears. At once, the two members of Team 7 reached for their weapon pouch.

But it was only a squirrel, darting around the ground like a frightened mouse.

Naruto gave a nervous laugh. "It's... just a squirrel."

Then Sakura's eyes visibly widened. She grabbed the boy by the cuff of his shirt (why was it _always_ the collar? It hurt!) and threw him behind the trees. She jumped in soon after.

"Wha—"

"Shh!" she shushed him. "There was an explosive tag on it! We could've been killed!"

Another rustling silenced her. Naruto hoped that it was just the wind.

And then Lee leapt down from a branch.

"Bushy-brows...?" What was that guy—?

No way. He knew Rock Lee was technically his enemy in this place, but didn't the guy have a crush on Sakura-chan? Why would he ally with those weird Sound people?

Sakura covered her hands over Naruto's mouth. Thankfully, Bushy-Brows didn't seem to notice. Rather, the boy was attempting to catch the fallen leaves before they reached the ground (muttering something about someone falling in love with him if he did caught them all).

His speed was incredible, Naruto thought. He hadn't seen a person move that fast before. Not even Haku.

Too bad he was trying to steal their scroll.

Naruto was just thinking of charging into the place and beating the guy up (nothing could stand against his shadow clones! Believe it!) when Lee stopped in his tracks, eyes looking straight at them.

The last leaf fell on the ground.

Did he find out? Naruto's fingers tightened around his kunai. Whatever Sakura said, he was going in—

"Oh goodness!" he shouted, streaking to... the squirrel. "Oh my poor critter! Look at you! A tag on your back—who would've done such a thing? Here," he tore off the seal, "there you go! Now you are free! Go! Leap around! Enjoy the wondrous things Life has given us! ...Hm?" Instead of darting away, the squirrel climbed up Lee's arms and sat on his shoulder. "You wish to stay with me? Why, of course! I would be delighted to have such a noble companion such as yourself! Now, I must search for that scroll!" he continued talking to the squirrel, who _chit_ted back, "I must not fail my teammates! If I can't find the scroll before Neji does, I shall run around Konoha one hundred times on my hands! YOSH!"

Naruto breathed out the breath he hadn't known he was holding. So Bushy-Brows wasn't the bad guy... Then where were those Sound sneaks?

* * *

Sakura thought the three ninjas had appeared out of nowhere.

Sound Genins materialized from thin air. The shortest, hairiest, and the most evil-looking one, Dosu Kinuta, leaned over to the spandex boy; left arm, covered with long sleeves, poised in front like a cannon.

She resisted the urge to gasp.

"Where are your other teammates?" The Oto-nin's voice was gravelly, deep, and mocking.

The bowl-cut-haired youth vanished (what was with ninjas and extreme speed?), seemingly to have teleported right above the three team members. He dropped down for a kick.

Unfazed, the other Sound boy opened his palms, and seemed to summon a small whirlwind.

_Implants,_ Sakura thought queasily.

The force of the wind should've been able to blow Lee away to the next century. But, either because he had great air-fluidity, or because the boy was super heavy, Lee only landed three mere feet from his opponents.

"Who are you? Do you wish to challenge me?" Lee shouted, while weaving and ducking mini-tornadoes.

_It's not a fair fight_, she thought, looking at the three teens facing off the lone boy. Joining the Konoha-nin's fight would be the most morally correct thing to do. But... this was the Chuunin Exams. The Forest of Death was just a miniature scale compared to what the Shinobi World really was. Morals were unimportant, as long as they, the ninjas, carry out the work that was supposed to be done. And that was what the Exams were about, right? To make sure the Genins were skillful enough to survive the harsh reality outside their sheltered village life?

If so, how were ninjas any different from hired thugs?

"Where are your teammates?" Dosu repeated.

"My teammates are not here," Lee told them plainly. Sakura wanted to smack him. Was he suicidal, informing the enemy that there was no backup? "And neither do I have the scroll. You can fight me, and I might lose the battle, but it will only be a waste of time for you, seeing that, while I have no scroll, one of you is certain to have it. You have no benefit in fighting me." The boy smiled brightly (there was a _ching!_ going off somewhere when lights hit his teeth) with a thumbs-up. "But then, of course, the Green Beasts of Konoha never loses! I will show you the power of youth!" His eyes burned with flames. "Oh, Gai-sensei, how I wish you can witness this!"

And with that, he charged towards the Sound-nins once more.

Dosu leap back, his arms still dangling in front like a gorilla. With a wide flourish of his arm, long sleeves were drawn back, revealing a weird metallic cylinder device. Another implant.

The Genin's eyes took on a malicious glint.

"Not even your speed can escape _sound_." He flicked the cylinder with an index finger.

A strange round-about noise filled the clearing, gradually increasing in volume. It was like an endless ringing on the back of her eardrums. The sound buzzed and chimed and rung until that headache in her head grew in strength. Her hands cover her ears, trying desperately to block out the high-pitched droning. That device on Dosu's arm was giving her a horrible migraine.

If it was bad for Sakura, it was ten times as bad for Lee. He doubled over mid-step in pain, arms wrapped around his head. Completely vulnerable. The squirrel on his shoulders scurried away, chittering madly.

Dosu shook his arm once. The noise ended, but the same could not be said for Lee's ears. They were bleeding.

"Looks like you don't have the scroll after all," the girl, Kin Tsuchi, said drawlingly. _What the hell?_ Inner Sakura said in annoyance and anger. _How come the bitch wasn't affect by that... _thing_?_ "Seems that your teammates didn't want to save this stray puppy of theirs. He's probably too weak to bother with."

Lee winced, but the determined arch of his eyebrow was still there. "My foes, though I am greatly impressed by your technique, I am equally saddened by your ignorance and deafness. I repeat: My teammates are not here. They are on their way elsewhere in search of another scroll. Your only opponent here is me." He tried to stand up, but the effects of the noise lingered still, causing him to tumble over the ground.

The last member of the trio, Zaku Abumi—the boy with wind-tunnel arms, slouched forward. "Stop lying," he said arrogantly. "We could hear them from the very _start_."

Then, in perfect sync, the three turned their heads and looked _directly at Naruto and Sakura_.

"Come out, Konoha squirts."

* * *

**A/N:** Whadiwhady? They were found? Oh, without Sasuke, they really are screwed, aren't they...? OR... is it their time to finally prove their skills in battle (albeit little)?

Ha. Cliffhangers. This is, like, my second one here?

And, just to clarify here, Orochimaru was in his real form. Why? Because he was going to kill them. Following Orochimaru's twisted sense of logic, I would think that the snake man was giving them an "award" before they die because Sasuke interested him, but not enough to give a Cursed Mark. :P I wanted to skip the Sound confrontation all together. But then I realized that Ino was going to appear, and to skip her scene like that was bad for character-defining.

Thanks for everyone who reviewed. Sorry if I missed your review (sometimes the Review Alert doesn't work) or your review-reply-reply (can't click into it...).

"_Because real life ain't like movies,/We're not star-crossed lovers,/Just a song, a repeating chorus,/Coming down to the/Last. Droning. Note..."_

(I feel like I need to write something angsty and romantic... Careful. The 8th Stone is going on an emo rampage—ARRR! I'd like to tackle poetry, but... not good with descriptions. Too much of a hassle.)

**Japan Update:** I'm not hearing a lot from the news, for some reason. But I can say the donations are going strong, at least in my school. Penny drive FTW.


	10. Battle Formation: Ino Shika Cho!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N:** I changed the story's name. By a little bit. Instead of _Sasuke (Not Uchiha)_, it's now _Sasuke, Not Uchiha_. So . . . yeah. :)

* * *

10. Battle Formation: Ino-Shika-Cho! . . . Saku-Naru?

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

When in doubt: Shadow Clones. There really should be a rule about it.

Twenty Narutos burst from the hiding place, catching the Sound weirdos by surprise—though not for long, it seemed. Zaku immediately raised his arms to blow some more airwave things . . .

Lee tackled Zaku from behind and knocked him over.

"Naruto-san! Look out!" Lee cried.

Dosu leapt from branch to branch like an oversized chimpanzee, weaving in and out of sight. When Naruto turned his head, he was immediately tackled by the Genin.

_Poof!_ Smoke erupted between Dosu's arms.

Zaku sneered, throwing the unbalanced Lee off easily. "So it's a game of hide-and-seek, huh, squirts? Well then," he poised his arms in front, "let's play."

Something like a tunnel of wind appeared before his palm, and then proceeded on knocking down every single Naruto clone in sight. There was no Lee to stop it this time.

"AH!" Narutos shouted before turning into smoke.

Ten . . . thirteen . . . fifteen . . . seventeen . . .

"Transform!"

Before any of them could understand what was going on, Sakura appeared from overhead (having climbed that tree faster than a monkey could) and dropped three smoke bombs.

When the smoke cleared, Dosu was pinning down a Dosu look-alike, Kin Tsuchi trying to hold off a clone of her own, and Zaku struggling to reach for his wind tunnel arms, which were pinned over his head.

The clones had transformed into the Sound Genins. Inwardly, Naruto praised himself for his genius.

"This is the impersonator! Don't be fooled!" one of the Kins said to a Zaku, trying to reach for her senbon needles.

"And how can I know you're not lying, and that you are not the clone?" Zaku shouted back.

"Stop!" the Dosu on top of a tree branch hollered. "I can hear the differences between your voices. _That_ is the real Zaku, and _that_ is the real Kin. The other two are fakes!"

Suddenly, Dosu was tackled by a replica of himself (or was it the other way around?). The second Dosu used the moment to shout, "No! Don't listen to this perpetrator! I am the real Dosu. And the fakes are—"

He never finished. One of the Zakus was thrown across the clearing and had landed right smack on Dosu's face.

The other Zaku emerged, his face furious and promised pain.

"This is wasting my time," he declared, and poised his arms held forward, palms faced up. "Decapitating Airwaves—!"

"Why you little bitch!" Kin's sneer interrupted the scene. She delivered a powerful kick at the other Kin, who slammed backwards and knocked against a tree.

_Poof!_ The girl turned back to Sakura, unable to focus her chakra after that terrible shock Kin delivered.

"Now, let's see how cocky you can be without your little tricks . . ."

"Sakura-chan!"

"Sakura-san! No!"

Despite his injury to the ear, Lee stood up, firm and tall. There was some strength in his eyes that eluded his shaky body as he stared at Sakura's pale, trembling form.

"'_To protect someone precious . . .'_" Naruto heard Lee mutter. "Gai-sensei. I think I know what you mean now."

The boy unwrapped the bandages around his arms and charged for Kin.

* * *

"_What do you mean, Gai-sensei?"_

"_You'll understand when the time comes." Ching! "You'll understand."_

* * *

Lee's plan failed.

The boy had rushed forward the second before Kin struck down her kunai. It was incredible, how his speed seemed so impossible . . . Lee rushed forward with bandages flying around his body, preparing for an unknown attack.

Kin could never outrun Lee. He was simply too fast. Before Sakura knew it, Lee had already kicked Kin into the air, he himself following. Bandages began to wrap themselves around the girl . . .

"Dancing Leaf Sha—"

But he never finished the sentence. At that exact moment, the horrible screeching noise manifested itself in the air again, directed once more at Lee. He faltered, Kin escaped, and they both landed on the ground.

Lee didn't rise up again.

"Is he dead?" Zaku said without mercy.

Dosu marched forward and prodded the boy with one toe.

Sakura wanted to kill him.

"No. But he can't move much either."

"Sorry, Sakura-san . . ." Lee whispered, wincing as another stream of blood trickled down his neck. "I have failed you."

"No! Lee! This is alright! You were—"

Kin grabbed Sakura's hair up.

Sakura felt tears prickling her eyes. Not because of pain, but because she realized that, once again, she was the useless one. The dragging weight of her whole team.

"Looks like this is one," she said to her other teammates with undisguised contempt. "Pink hair, green eyes, about one-hundred-and-fifty centimeters tall." She smirked. "Haruno Sakura, member of Team Kakashi."

_How did she . . . ?_

"I've got one here too." Zaku stepped over the defeated Lee, holding a writhing Naruto by the collar. "It's Uzumaki Naruto. Fits the profile."

". . . Yeah, well, that's too bad for you guys! We don't have the scroll, HAHAHA! Sucka's! All this time you've been fighting a useless battle, with my last trick still in my sleeves," Naruto shouted. Being so sensitive in ears, the Sound Genins winced. "I'll never give up! You people are gonna be so dead once I—"

Zaku swung his fist at Naruto's face.

No bones were cracked, but there was a nasty red mark at the point of contact. Naruto coughed up blood.

"Mm . . ." Dosu mused silently as he stared down at Lee. "But this one isn't the third."

"Can't we just kill him already? We've already got two," Zaku complained. Sakura tried to use this moment to sneak some weapons out of her pocket, but paused at his words.

"_Got two"? What do they mean by—?_

"No," Dosu's gravelly tone boomed. "Orochimaru-sama specifically ordered us to kill two and capture one. Those two are baits for the last boy. These are Konoha-nins, after all." He gave a dark, low rumble of laughter. "They have no sense of self-preservation. Sasuke will come like a moth to flame."

Kill . . . them . . . ?

"Oh, poor baby, are you going to cry now?" Kin asked Sakura mockingly, seeing her panic-stricken expression. "You know, if you'd spent more time _training_—" her hair was pulled violently from side to side; Sakura almost cried out in pain "—and less time trying to make yourself look _sexy_, you'd be in a less pathetic state than you are right now." The girl's laugh was high and cruel. "Then again, perhaps not. A kunoichi like you doesn't deserve to be called ninja at all."

"Hey! What are you doing with Sakura-chan! Oof . . . let go of me you stupid—!"

"Hm," Dosu said, looking down at Naruto. "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe the last one isn't coming after all."

"Should we wait for him?"

("No! I am going to defeat you all! I'm telling you, I'll kick all your butts before you know it . . . !")

Dosu contemplated this for a few seconds. "Kill them, and we'll leave their bodies for the last one to see."

_No._ Sakura's eyes widened._ No no no no no!_ She refused for it to end like this. There was no way. The girl struggled even harder, desperate to escape Kin Tsuchi.

The black-haired girl laughed. "Don't worry. This will be very, very quick . . ." She transferred both hands to yank her captive's hair.

That was a mistake. With her arms free, Sakura flipped open her weapon pouch for a kunai.

"What are you doing?" Kin gave another painful tug on her hair. "That won't work on me!"

Sakura mirrored her smirk, but her eyes were watering now. "This isn't for you, bitch."

"How dare you—!"

Sakura had no idea what doing this would accomplish . . .

"_Ne, Ino. Why do you have long hair?"_

But . . . she wasn't going follow in other people's shadows anymore.

"_Well, all girls have long hair. But, the real reason is . . ." Wink. "Sai likes long hair."_

She wasn't a fragile flower that always got protected.

"_Really?" Big smile. "Do you think I should leave my hair long too?"_

She was a Konoha Kunoichi.

"_You . . . like Sai . . . ?"_

She was a ninja, dammit!

* * *

**~.*.~**

* * *

Ino watched as Sakura's hair littered the ground.

A steady flow of action followed—Sakura tried to elbow Kin, but the Sound girl caught her arm and twisted it backwards. When Sakura attempted a kick, her attack was paused in midair. In the end of the struggle, Kin held her ex-best friends' face down on the dirt.

The words said next, Ino couldn't hear. Team 10 was too far away from that idiot Naruto and Sakura, her equally idiotic ex-best friend. But, when she looked down once more at the pink tresses, lying on the ground—

* * *

_Ino heard about the Uchiha Massacre. It was terrible, but she didn't understand much, just that a lot of people died. Only later would she know about the true horrors of the Massacre, and learn to hate the ultimate perpetrator—Itachi Uchiha._

But right then the only thing she knew was that Sai changed. Drastically. He wouldn't speak to her (instead devoted all his time training), wouldn't play with her (he tried and failed to master that fire jutsu—one of the only things he had left from his father), wouldn't smile with her (fake ones didn't count).

She tried (over and over and over again) to engage a conversation with him. He ignored her and walked on.

She didn't understand.

She tried to wait for another proposal or another will-you-be-my-girlfriend (she knew the answer now, why she always blushed whenever he smiled, why she always wanted to be with him). It didn't come.

(Ino and Sai forever and ever. It was a lie.)

They drifted more and more apart. The ridge that separated the two grew wider.

Then she found Sakura crying in the meadow, a group of girls around her, teasing her forehead (the teacher was away with another group of students; she didn't see them). Ino scared them away easily (she never did like them much). She befriended Sakura. They became best friends.

_(But she wasn't Sai.)_

* * *

"Are you okay with this, Ino?" Shikamaru suddenly said, breaking her reverie. "She was your best—"

"No time to talk, Shikamaru!" Ino suddenly declared (having not heard a single word he said). "We're going to help these two idiots!"

Chouji paused in the middle of his potato chips. "Wha—? Do I really have to—Oof. No! Not my barbecue chips!" he lamented as Ino dragged him and Shikamaru away.

"This is so troublesome. Why did I even say that . . . ?"

Five heads lifted up to the arrival of Team 10. The boy with kanji of 死 all over his shirt leered. He pushed Naruto to Dosu and strode forward.

"_Another_ batch of these Leaf losers?" He rolled back his sleeves. "Well, they're gonna end up the same anyway with—"

"No! Zaku! Move!" Dosu suddenly shouted.

But Zaku didn't. Or, more specifically, couldn't. Across the clearing, Shikamaru stood, hands in the ending seal of the Shadow Imitation Technique.

"Troublesome . . ." he said, scratching his head. When Shikamaru fished out a kunai, Zaku and no choice but mimic.

"Are you crazy?" He began to sweat. "If your kunai hits, mine will too!"

"We'll just have to see about that, don't we?"

"No, Zaku! You're too clo—"

Naruto saw his opportunity and tackled Dosu, muffling the rest of his words.

_Crack!_ A second later, Zaku slumped onto the ground, unconscious.

"A wise shinobi never loses his position on the battlefield," Shikamaru said, straightening his back. Even though it was a drag, he guess he could help Naruto with Dosu. (But what was with those whisker marks? And he thought the boy's eyes were blue?)

A little way across, Ino and a rather shaky Chouji faced off against Kin Tsuchi, who held Sakura with a kunai to her throat.

"One more step and I'll kill her."

_Dammit_, Ino thought, a bead of sweat sliding down her brow. She couldn't use her Mind-Transfer Jutsu like this! Kin was at an advantage, not to mention she had Sakura. Oh crap oh crap oh crap. What was she supposed to do now? Where was that weird emo kid, Sasuke? Wasn't he their teammate?

Sakura, with Kin's arm around her neck, managed to smile, though it came out more as a grimace.

"In-no-p-pig-chan. You l-look so s-stupid stand-ding th-there like th-that."

"You're the stupid one! Look at you! I have to save you again!" Ino almost cried (but crying was for weaklings who couldn't do anything. She wasn't a weakling).

The Sound girl's kunai pressed against her best friend's skin, drawing a tiny trickle of blood. "Stop talking unless you want to get killed."

"AAAAAARGH!" An inhumane scream sounded from a few yards away.

She heard Shikamaru cussed. "Ino! Naruto is acting strange! I can't stop him! He's—Shit."

Kin visibly paled. "The Kyuubi . . . ?"

Ino's eyes drifted just so she saw the ground beneath a blob of red split open. Both she and Chouji covered their faces from the pieces of stone and dirt that flew everywhere. When everything settled again, Kin and Sakura were nowhere to be found.

"Where'd they go?" Chouji whispered behind.

She didn't speak. Her eyes scrutinized upon a particular place on the forest trail.

Then she looked over to Shikamaru's side, where he held a furiously red Naruto (was that a _tail_?) with his Shadow Possession Jutsu. Strangely, this even-more-foxlike-than-before Naruto seemed to be . . . physically struggling. It looked like he was fighting against himself rather than Shikamaru. Her teammate, too, was visibly struggling, but he tilted his head in her direction and gave a small nod. He was fine.

"Chouji. Shika needs help."

Hearing his best friend's name, Chouji nodded. "I'll stay with him."

The best part about friendship was its mutual understanding. They didn't need to speak anymore words.

Ino turned her heels. And ran, following the trail of pink hair that would lead to her friend.

* * *

Sakura knew that, if this didn't work, she would be screwed.

There was no Kakashi, no Naruto, and no Sasuke here to help her. It was just her, the Forest, and a mind-washed Sound Genin programmed to do that Orochimaru's biddings.

She didn't need her intelligent mind to tell her all the different ways she could die right now, or all the possible pains that they would make her experience as a "bait" (she learned it from the Ninja Academy that "bait" was "_a person or an object with the purpose of drawing an enemy out into a specific place or time advantageous in any way to the baiter_"). For once in her life, she needed to override that logical side of hers and convince herself that this wasn't impossible or downright suicidal.

Sakura closed her eyes and focused (because focus was the key), delving into her inner calm. Gradually, even the sounds of her own heartbeat faded from her ears as her concentration sharpened.

Okay . . . nice and easy . . .

The timing must be right.

'_You sure this will be good?'_ Inner Sakura asked quietly in the back of her mind, probably the once she wouldn't yell.

_I'm sure._

But, of course, you can't lie to yourself.

Sakura's eyes flashed open. Without so much as a huff of breath, she swung backward in Kin's grip to deliver a roundhouse kick.

The Oto-nin caught her leg with ease. Sakura grunted with pain.

Plan A: Surprise Attack, failed.

She didn't want to waste chakra, but it looked like she had no choice.

The girl flipped backward, away from Kin's clutches—though, of course, if that was all it took to defeat her, Sakura would've done it a long time ago.

"Clone Jutsu!" Her fingers knitted into a seal.

Her opponent smirked. "That's just a waste of energy, and you know it."

Her hands moved, forming a cross instead. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Pink was everywhere: behind branches, atop leaves, around bushes. But the other ninja didn't falter.

"So that's your team's specialty, huh?" With an arm at her waist, she held up four senbon needles. "No matter. Let's see how your pathetic little clones can go against _this_!"

Several columns of smoke erupted through the branches as the needles went through. But even more came.

Kin's face lost her cocky smile; instead, her lips pressed into a tight line as she readied herself for another round of weapons.

It was only after five more minutes that the black-haired girl seemed to realize that something was wrong. That this stamina was too incredible for such a frail little girl. Abruptly, Kin changed her fighting sequence, charging forward at the nearest clone with a kunai in hand.

Surprised, it could only stagger back as Kin drove the weapon straight through its body. But the hit never landed. And the Sakura was still intact.

"Clone . . . ?"

Kin leapt away just to time to dodge an oncoming kunai. It exploded upon contacting wood.

"No, it's more than that . . ." Her eyes widened. "Shit—Kai!"

The illusion faded away. Sakura yelped at the sight of a suddenly conscious and murderous Kin.

Plan B: Genjutsu, failed.

The Sound-nin struggled out of her bounds and stepped forward onto a gnarled branch.

Three senbon stuck from Sakura's left arm, rendering it useless. Beneath her bangs, the girl glared at her opponent.

"I'll admit, that was pretty good, how you managed to trap me in a genjutsu like that." Sakura took a shaky step back. "It is rare that someone as weak as you can live so long—it is rare for me to find an opponent Dosu and Zaku hasn't killed yet." She smirked. "Don't worry—you won't die just yet. And I promise: it will be very, very painful for you." Kin's hands, full of senbon needles, drew back. "This is it, Haruno Sakura."

Sakura dove sideways for cover, but it was a moment too late.

_This is it. If this doesn't work, well . . ._

The needles went straight for her leg.

_At least I put up a good fight._

She grabbed a tree branch for leverage, swinging back up.

Another round of needles flew for her life. Wincing, she lifted one leg up from the mossy bark, chakra swirling around the soles.

She had seen Sasuke do this in one of the only spars he'd won. Probably another thing she needed to thank him later for his existence.

As the needles came in contact, they stuck to her feet. Carefully, her foot shot forward, arm as an anchor on the branch. The senbon flew straight back at its owner. Kin ducked, but a dozen still got the girl's shoulder and waist.

Sakura saw her eyes flash, promising pain.

Guess it was time for Plan C, then.

"_You have a tremendously good control over chakra . . ." _she recalled Kakashi saying in Waves, after the tree-climbing exercise._ "Probably the best in our team."_

"_Even you, sensei?"_

"_Oh, definitely."_

'_Well, let's put that to the test now!'_ Inner said fierily.

Let's.

Ignoring whatever Kin was spewing about, Sakura closed her eyes . . . and stepped away from the branch.

Automatically, the nothingness beneath her feet glowed with blue chakra, forming a giant mold (too huge to be completely efficient) below, though nevertheless supported her weight, completely airborne—

She was floating.

_A Jounin-level technique . . . _Despite the situation, she beamed._ Naruto, Sai-kun, Sasuke . . . I did it!_

Later she would try to recall what it was like, supported by virtually nothing but her chakra, _flying_. But . . . now wasn't the time. As amazing as this technique was, she could already feel her energy draining away at an alarming rate. At most, she could hold up to five minute. But that, she thought, was time enough.

Another step forward, then another step. She couldn't risk moving any faster than a snail's pace. But, perhaps, if—

_Kling-ling, kling-ling._

The noise was soft and pure, the tinkling of an innocent silver bell.

_Kling-ling-ling, kling-ling._

Another step forward, but the sound was distracting her . . . Strange. Why did her head ache so . . .?

_Kling-ling-ling-kling-ling-ling, kling-kling-ling._

What was that bitch up to again . . . ? Ugh! Her head!

The branch in front of Sakura that was supposed to act as a landing grew blurry, indistinct. There seemed to be a multitude of the same brown bark around everywhere . . .

What. The. Hell.

"Don't ever ask for whom the bell tolls . . ." came Kin's snide voice, "because it tolls only for _you_."

A whizzing sound came from behind, but it didn't matter. The last thing Sakura saw before falling was Kin Tsuchi's kunai, missing her neck by an inch.

It was a sixty-foot freefall below.

_Sasuke, you idiot . . . You better live._

* * *

The limp body plummeted through branches and leaves. There was nothing to break her fall but the hard, unforgiving ground.

Fifty feet—

"Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Ino shouted frantically, her fingers clumsy. She aimed her chakra at the grinning, unsuspecting Kin.

Thirty feet—

Her own body limped on the ground. It took her a few seconds to get used to the jutsu, then she was off—dashing down the tree trunk, a desperate run against gravity.

Fifteen feet—

"SAKURA!"

She was too slow . . .

* * *

Sasuke grunted. God, was Sakura heavy.

"Annoying . . ."

"SAKURA!" someone shouted from above.

Kin Tsuchi emerged from bush. Sasuke immediately tensed. His free hand fumbled for a kunai as he winced from the neck pain.

"Sasuke-san." He looked up, and relaxed. The girl held her hands up, weaponless, and panting slightly from her run. This wasn't Tsuchi.

"Yamanaka," he greeted back.

She blinked. Obviously she didn't know him well enough to understand his manner of acting.

So Ino glared. She didn't seem very happy with him for some reason (then again, who wasn't?). "Hold her . . ." She indicated herself. "The jutsu will take a few seconds to recover."

Sasuke nodded curtly, shifting Sakura onto his back to grip Ino/Kin on the shoulder.

Ino nodded back. "Release!" she shouted.

Kin's body fell lifelessly against his arm. Sasuke quickly set to work, wrapping Kin Tsuchi's body against a tree with Sakura's weight. Bound and gagged, there was no way she could escape, even if she was conscious.

Within seconds, Kin woke up. Her eyes snapped open and she struggled against the ropes. Her angry words were muffled, unintelligible.

Ino, however, still didn't appear. Perhaps the user of the technique took longer to recover than the target?

Another rustle. Sasuke whipped his head around and met saw Ino, this time in both body and mind.

She didn't spare him a glance, choosing to lean against a large rock with her hand on her forehead. Her jutsu must've taken its toll. Sasuke inspected Ino for any signs of deceit or plans of ambush. There was none, or she wasn't in the shape to ambush Team 7; Ino was too white and clammy. It reminded Sasuke of her appearance in the Written Exams. Was her skin always that yellow, sickish color? He couldn't remember.

And—Hold on a second. What was that strange loop around Ino's ankle? Was that . . . _an ink stai__—__!_

Sakura groaned, mumbling meaningless words, and any other thought immediately came to a stop. She was in one of her nightmares. He knew from her stays at her house. It was to be expected. She was probably dreaming of death right now. It was to be expected, having fallen so close to her death.

Finally, Kin screamed, a last attempt to bring down her enemies. Ino lifted her head and gazed at the girl wearily.

"Let's go, before the bitch brings even more people here."

The way back was longer than Sasuke remembered, full of twists and turns he could barely memorize. They arrived at the clearing with Zaku knocked out, so was Dosu, along with a few dozen deep and long scratch marks across his face.

The cause of the injuries was already back on his feet, eyes blue instead of the Kyuubi red, and an arm carrying the unconscious Rock Lee. He gave Sasuke an abnormally serious look, which Sasuke returned evenly, though he was panicking inside. He had tamed the Kyuubi, Naruto's inner demon (a feat that was almost impossible considering he only had two tomoe on each eye)—but would Naruto trust Sasuke anymore now that he shown such a power over him?

It seemed so, when Naruto grinned . . . wickedly. "Sasuke—you're becoming more and more like Kakashi: late and pervy."

He quickly put Sakura down on the ground (he was not molesting a _twelve-year old_, god), but Sakura wouldn't let go. Instead, she burrowed her head deeper into his neck. Sasuke blinked.

"So," Shikamaru decided to speak up, "what do we do with the scroll?"

"Scroll?" Naruto echoed.

"You know." Shikamaru opened one eye and nodded at the Earth scroll on the ground.

Chouji, who was already munching on yet another bag on chips, said happily, "We're going to get it, of course! Shikamaru _did_ defeat that Sound-nin . . ."

"Hey, hey! But I was the one who got rid of Mummy-Face-san—"

"Yes, but in the end you almost blew the whole forest up!"

Fearing a crisis, Shikamaru quickly intervened. "I'm sure we can work something out—"

Ino huffed. "I was the one who Mind-Transferred to Kin Tsuchi."

"I tied her up," Sasuke pointed out.

She narrowed her eyes at the Team 7 boys. "That doesn't count at all. It was just to save time to get Sakura back. I could've done it by _myself_."

"We helped you get these Sound people," Chouji added through a mouthful of chips, "when you couldn't."

"And when Cloud Boy here wasn't there to help Forehead, leaving her with _Naruto_."

"HEY! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?"

"This is so troublesome . . ." Shikamaru held up two hands in a gesture to calm Ino down. "Listen, why don't we—"

"Nara, you aren't stupid," Sasuke cut in, "so let me tell you something: We faced Orochimaru."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. There was a few moments of silence as every turned their heads to Shikamaru and Sasuke, awaiting his verdict.

"The Snake Sannin?" Sasuke nodded. "If that really is true—" he gave his usual sigh "—that really would be a drag."

"Yes, and if we were strong enough to hold our own against him . . . We should be strong enough to go against you people."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Your argument is invalid. We can't even know for certain that you are telling the truth. It might just be an excuse to take the scroll."

"Are you willing to gamble on your teammates' lives?"

"No . . . I'm trying to get more evidence before I make a decision."

"That still doesn't change the fact that you are outnumbered."

"But if you had really held out against Orochimaru, the missing-nin, you and your teammate should be extremely fatigued."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT?" Ino and Naruto yelled at the same time.

Sasuke glared at Naruto. "Dobe, remember that guy who almost _killed_ you?"

Naruto blinked, and then hit his fist on his palm. He held up two fingers and pulled down the skin below his eyes. "This guy?"

Sasuke wondered briefly how Orochimaru would feel seeing Naruto's "imitation". Then he decided that the question was absurd.

"Yes. Now you get it, idiot?"

"_Oh _. . . Psh. This idiot, as you call me, is the Great Uzumaki Naruto-sama who—Hey! That reminds me!"

He reached into his jacket and pulled out . . . an Earth scroll.

Naruto laughed uneasily. "Haha. It seems that I . . . forgot . . . to mention this . . ."

There was a moment of silence when everyone present and conscious tried to think of all the painful ways to kill the moron.

"_NARUTO!"_

* * *

It had been the Voice that woke Sasuke—though thankfully this time he didn't have to visit his "subconscious" anymore, as he was truly knocked out. Though the Voice's antics of waking Sasuke up (singing "Sai is better than _Saaasuke_~ Sai is better than _Saaasuke_~" loudly in his mind over and over again had given him a horrible headache) was less than pleasant.

Lee was taken away by Neji and Tenten, who, surprisingly, spoke no words to the other two teams, and fought no battles. Neji left with his eyes on Sasuke, analyzing him. Sasuke smirked back.

As Team 10 walked away from them to a different entrance in the central tower, Sasuke couldn't help but think back to the what-would-have-happened if Team 10 hadn't been there for Sakura and Naruto, and if the Voice hadn't woken him in time to catch Sakura's fall.

_So, Orochimaru is back._ It still seemed somewhat like a dream, that the vermin he'd thought gone once and for all was back, haunting him. _Is there any point asking why you never told me that?_

_You would've told no one else about this and sought Orochimaru yourself_, the Voice answered casually._ Then, inevitably, you would die._

_How do you know?_

_Because you'd think that, even if you told Kakashi or the Third, they would not believe you. But . . . now it won't matter, since Anko will inform them of him._

Sasuke did not speak to the Voice for a while, before sighing. _I have to tell them, don't I? _He swallowed._ I have to tell them about Orochimaru and Kabuto and the Invasion._

_And your memory losses._

He scowled._ And my memory losses. _It was hard for him to admit that, despite his invincibility (most of the times), he had a dreadful weakness. However, it was the second time it'd happened—and it almost cost all of Team 7's lives.

Never again, he promised to himself silently.

The snake's head was finally seen. Now what would he do? Sasuke had changed the past, predicted the future . . . but could he save his two idiotic teammates?

"Hey, teme!" Naruto shouted from the door. Following them were four of Naruto's clones carring a grass-woven bed, on which lay the sleeping Sakura (he and Naruto agreed on the condition—of course he wasn't going to let Naruto, that pervert, carrying Sakura). "Why the grim face? Just 'cuz I beat you?"

"You weren't the one who had to carry Sakura."

"Hey! Are you saying I'm fat?" a voice popped up behind them.

Sasuke cringed. "N-no! It's just—"

Then he saw the transformed Buushin _poof_ing back to the form of Naruto. The real Sakura was still on the bed, sleeping silently.

All five Narutos laughed.

"God, teme, I'm so telling Sakura that when she—"

"Katon!" Sasuke hollered.

The Narutos gulped, and then scrambled inside the building as quickly as they could with Sasuke charging toward them at lightning speed.

Of course, no flames came.

* * *

**A/N:** I made Sasuke cheap. :D

Dosu and the others didn't hear Team 10 because they were too far away. The Sound people were too concentrated to torturing Sakura and Naruto anyway.

Reading older fanfics is . . . amusing. Especially the author notes. Always, the fics around 2008 and 2009 have the authors go something like, "DESTROY KONOHA? WTF, KISHIMOTO?" following with the usual Kishi bashing. Karin isn't the most bashed character in the SasuSaku fandom; Kishimoto is. :D

One last thing: I'm taking a break from fanfiction for a while. While I will still continue to write SNU and have it published in time (once two weeks), I can't reply to reviews. Sorry for those who actually like review-replies. Now that spring break is over, I have to cram for all the tests/exams that are to come, so my internet time greatly cut down. So, SNU isn't discontinued or anything. I just can't go online as much as before. :( Sorry, and thanks to those who understand this.


	11. Unknown Future of the Preliminary Rounds

**Disclaimer: Neither The 8th Stone nor I own **_**Naruto**_**.**

**A/N:** I published a total of three chapters today . . . One for SNU, another for Fragmented Remains, and a last one for a new fic named _Fallen Sakura_ ("In which Sakura betrays the village instead of Sasuke"). Check it out in my profile? ;)

The poem for the Chuunin Exams is from the English dub (Cartoon Network), so it may be different from what you've seen.

Also, I'm reading the fic _After the Fall_, by **Insane Romantic**, and I realized how similar hers is to mine (except Sakura, not Sasuke, travels back in time and there's no replacement for her and other things that might spoil the story if I say it here). It's really good. If you like SNU, you should read it. It's a hundred times than anything you're about to read down here. :)

* * *

11. Unknown Future of the Preliminary Rounds

There was a poem written on canvas-like cloth, situated over a wall in the back of the room. It was a puzzle, and Naruto couldn't help but suppress his grimace. He hated puzzles.

Sasuke stood beside him, watching with some amusement unbeknownst to the boy. Perhaps the emo bastard liked poetry? That wouldn't surprise him.

Naruto rolled his eyes, and read:

"_If qualities of heaven are your desire_, _acquire wisdom to take your mind higher_.

"_If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack._

"_When heaven and earth are open together, the perilous path will become righteous forever._

"_This . . . '_something_' is the secret way which guides us from this place today_."

There was silence for a while, then—

"WHAT! That doesn't make sense at all!" he exclaimed, waving at the poem. "Kami, what do they mean by 'qualities of heaven'? And 'take your mind higher'? And what about that blank space? (And what does 'perilous' mean anyway?) It's—It's like—Sakura-chan! Why aren't you awake? WE NEED YOUR AWESOME BRAIN!"

Naruto saw Sasuke's eyebrow twitch (it was amazing thing, the human anatomy).

"It doesn't matter what the answer is, idiot . . . All we need to do is open the scrolls."

"The scrolls?" Naruto crossed his fingers and frowned. "Are you sure?"

They were warned to never open the scrolls . . . but only in the Forest.

"Yes."

That was, surprisingly, all it needed to convince him.

Naruto took out the Earth scroll, while Sasuke fished the Heaven scroll from his pocket. They looked at each other once, and nodded.

Both broke the seal with their fingers and pulled out the sheet of paper, unfurling the secret messages that they had worked so painstakingly hard for—

A beat passed.

"'Man' . . . ?" He tilted his head, hoping for a better understanding from another perspective.

Naruto was disappointed. All he could make out was a series of scribbled words, arranged in a circle with a huge kanji, 人. The symbol for "man".

Then, the symbol began to bulge.

"Wha—" His fingers fumbled dumbly with the scroll.

"Naruto, drop the scroll!"

And Naruto did, literally threw it across the room like how he would with a bomb—

Huge puffs of white smoke burst into existence, filling the room: a summoning. Shadows appeared in the smoky air, and, alarmed, Naruto immediately held up his kunai, which earned a slight shake of head from Sasuke. In wonder, he lowered his weapon and stared at the approaching figure.

The air cleared. From the shadows emerged Iruka, his Academy teacher, looking as tan and kind as ever. Seeing him was like seeing a family member after a long mission; Naruto relaxed at once.

"Iruka-sensei!" he instead called loudly.

Iruka raised a hand. "Hey, Naruto . . . and look," he glanced at his watch, "still two more days to spare." He grinned. "I'm impressed."

"What are you talking about, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto feigned indignity. "I'm gonna be the future Hokage! These little bug and branches ain't got nothing on me!"

Sasuke snorted, earning him a glare from Naruto.

"Teme!"

Iruka held up his hands to calm his former student down. "There, there, Naruto. You just passed the second stage of the exams. Shouldn't you be celebrating?"

Naruto laughed. "Well, of course! I mean . . ." Then he registered Iruka's words. "We . . . we passed?"

Naruto knew he was gaping with his mouth open, but didn't really care.

"Yep. My job is a messenger to inform teams of their passing. The Sandaime has set up a tradition for Chuunin to welcome oncoming Genin. And so, I conclude here, that Team Kakashi has passed the second part of the Chuunin Exams. Congratulations. Now," he rubbed his neck, "I would really like for us to get a bowl of ramen or so . . ."

Naruto's eyes brightened. "YES! Ramen! Ramen! Oh, most definitely ramen!" He jumped up and down. "And all this time we were stressing over that stupid poem, and in the end it doesn't even matter—"

"Actually," Iruka cut in, with a laughing tone in his voice, "part of my job as messenger is to explain that poem to you, Naruto."

"Dobe . . ." Sasuke muttered under his breath superiorly.

Naruto stuck a tongue out at his friend, who rolled his eyes. What a bastard.

Iruka chuckled, the kind of chuckle you would hear from a man amused by youngsters' antics.

"Well, now, allow me to explain." The man cleared his throat, but then paused, his gaze transferred Sakura. She was still unconscious. "Sakura is still asleep, though. Can you tell her about this when she wakes up?"

Naruto nodded. "Of course!"

"Good, because this is a bit important . . . Now, this here is a list of requirements the Third Hokage wrote down for the Chuunin." Iruka traced his fingers over the first line. "'_If qualities of heaven are your desire . . ._"

And so it went. To be honest, Naruto didn't memorize half what Iruka had said, mostly too excited by the fact that _they had passed the second exams!_ At this rate, all of Team 7 could become Chuunin, even if more freaks, like that Olotimato or whatever, came. Believe it.

But as Iruka's lecture winded down to an end (something that reminded him so nostalgically of the Academy days), Naruto realized that he was staring at him a bit oddly, making him wonder if there was a giant lizard climbing across his nose.

"Iruka . . . sensei?" he asked uncertainly.

The man seemed to shake himself out of a daze, and that usual kind-old-Iruka smile was back across his face.

"Naruto . . . you've grown."

The boy smiled widely, his hands behind his neck. "'Course, sensei! I'm gonna be the Godaime someday! Nothing's gonna stop me out there! Believe it!"

Instead of the usual reprimand he'd expected, Naruto got a small pat on the head.

He looked up, surprised, but saw that Iruka had already turned his heels, proceeding on leaving.

"By the way," Iruka tilted his head back and faced Sasuke with a grin, "thank you, Sasuke."

And then the Chuunin left, leaving Naruto staring, dumbfounded, at his smirking best friend.

* * *

Sakura woke exactly two hours and thirty-three minutes after their arrival at the tower (not that Sasuke was counting or anything), and immediately shut Naruto up nicely by the repeatedly murderous cries of "_Quiet_, Naruto! Your voice is KILLING MY HEAD!" Sasuke was glad he had a reason to glare more often; that strange happy sensation he'd gotten when she opened her eyes was unnerving him.

They spent the rest of the time catching up on their stories to the fight with Team Dosu. After everyone finished talking, Naruto got the most ridiculous idea of comparing each of their own clothing designs. Naruto's bright orange jumpsuit was of course voted as Most Blinding and Ridiculous Shinobi Garb of Team 7, while Sasuke's combination of dark blue, black, dark blue, and black was voted as Most Emo. He thought the voting was rather biased. After all, if he didn't agree to vote Sakura's red dress for Most Feminine, he would certainly get a beating for it.

Sasuke's wounds were not healed yet, though he wasn't worried. He had suffered more than a few cuts and bleedings, albeit this time from one of the most feared ninjas in the world. But he was _fine_, as he told Sakura that one time, who glared at him scarily (and they said _he_ was terrifying?) while unwrapping a few of his bandages.

"No, Sasuke." She crossed her arms. The scary glare was still there, so he dared not interrupt. "You already ripped _four_ of my stitches. I don't want to patch you up just because you refuse to cooperate. If any more stitches break, I will watch you bleed to death and _laugh_ because you were too _scared_ to get the stitches _over_ with."

Needless to say, Sasuke became a lot more obedient after that.

* * *

Their stay at the central tower of the Forest of Death was a short one. After another day, the time limit for this stage was up, and doors were barred from other Genins. The three Genin of Team 7 was allowed out of their compartment.

"Yes! FRESH AIR!" Naruto shouted, earning him more than a few raised eyebrows as he tore through the hallways.

After the recapturing of Naruto, Team 7 strode into the tower's huge, gym-like main room. The place wasn't particularly familiar to Sasuke—after all, he'd only been there for one battle—but he could tell that it was the main room, the place where the preliminary rounds would take place.

"Welcome," the Third greeted, standing in front of the huge, seal-forming fingers. Silence spread through the Genins. "To have passed the Forest of Death, all of you must be remarkable in the prospects of . . ."

The Rookie Nine, all of them, were present in the room, as were Gai, Kabuto, and Gaara's teams. Sasuke tried not to glare at the medic too much—it would be suspicious. But it was a hard taks. The man's very face reminded him of his time in Sound, without doubt one of the most horrible times in his past life. He remembered with much disgust how some of Orochimaru's "lab rats" had been left to die in those vile cells underground after "their usefulness was over". The experiments would scream and claw the ground, bang onto the bars, smash their heads against the impenetrable walls, and plead for mercy, for freedom, for food, for death . . .

How he had ever lived with the man all those months, he couldn't fathom.

There was but one small alternation this time around. Team Dosu was not present with the Chuunin finals hopefuls.

_Good riddance,_ he thought savagely, thinking of how they'd sneaked up on Naruto and Sakura while he was out.

_Remember, though: what seems good right now may be seen otherwise later on_, the Voice said in its usual riddle-like tone.

Now all that was left were the fights at the preliminary rounds. Without the Curse Mark to stop him this time, his opponent (what was the guy's name? Yoro? Leyoi?) would be an easy opponent. Naruto would pass along with him, though Sakura wouldn't . . . But that was alright. She'd probably be disappointed at first, but it was too early for her to become Chuunin anyway, without including the possible Invasion in the equation.

Hayate Gekko, a sickly-looking man with tired, sunken eyes, appeared before the crowd of final qualifiers, and began an announcement.

Sasuke ignored both Hayate and the Voice—neither were worth much of his attention. Instead, he chose to use the time to access his enemies. There, across from Hinata (who waved back shyly at a grinning Naruto), Tenten (who spun a kunai around her index finger dully), and Kankuro (who fingered the bandages of his puppet rather suspiciously . . .), he saw Kabuto's teammate, Yoroi-something, who looked malicious just by simply standing there, with his creepy sunglasses and face mask.

". . . and because of this, we will host a preliminary round before the finals," the proctor concluded, coughing twice more in his fist. "A series of one-on-one matches will be made to determine whether you are fit to go on to the final round or not. If you are defeated in these matches, you are out. Only the winners may advance. If you want to drop out, you may say so now."

Murmurs of and protest rose from the Genin.

"This isn't fair—"

"Hey, why can't we all—"

"This was never—"

"We are all—"

"I will drop out."

The voices ceased.

Gaunt eyes located the boy's raised hand.

"Yakushi Yabuto?" Hayate called out hoarsely then nodded. "Very well. You may leave."

"Kabuto?" Naruto piped in the front. "Why? You were doing pretty good. Why are you quitting now?"

The silver-haired medic faked a smile. "I'm sorry, Naruto-san. The injury I've gotten earlier . . . it's just too much of a risk for me." He walked away, head dipped down. "Perhaps next time I would have a better chance."

Sasuke stared after the man, fist clenching and unclenching. Seeing that Team 7 had survived the Forest . . . the snake probably wanted to report to his master. However, Sasuke could do little but glare after him angrily. After all, who would all the Jounin believe—a shinobi who had been loyal (seemingly) since birth, or the new, stuck-up boy from enemy Cloud?

The silence returned after Kabuto's departure. Not many people knew of the man's talent as a medic, even as a supposedly "mediocre" one. Even fewer knew of his association with the infamous Orochimaru—the right-hand man, a powerful position. But most knew that Kabuto had attended the Exams more than any one of them, and the fact that the boy intended on dropping out was worrisome to all.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei!" chorused Naruto and Sakura, running over to meet their teacher. Sasuke acknowledged the ninja's presence with a small "hn".

"See, all those training sessions had brought you here, hadn't it?" Kakashi teased, knowing that the boys hated it when Sakura always won.

"Kakashi," Sasuke cut in, realizing that this was a good chance to reveal what he knew about Orochimaru. "I have to tell you—"

But he was interrupted by Hayate. After a loud fit of hacking coughs, the proctor said, "The LED screen will randomly match up you and your opponents. There will be no choosing on who your opponent will be. Again, the winner will qualify for the Chuunin Exam finals, while the losers leave. First opponents . . ."

Gigantic monitors blinked into life on both sides of the statue's index finger and began scrambling names.

Sasuke smirked and proceeded forward on the balcony, knowing his name would be called. The conversation could wait.

The flickering stopped, but Sasuke's name did not appear.

"Tsurugi Misumi versus Nara Shikamaru."

"Sasuke, come back." Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't get so excited. It's not your turn yet."

"Yeah, teme!" said Naruto. "If you want to face me, you have to save all your energy to put on a good fight when I kick your butt!"

"Naruto," Sakura said in exasperation. "You don't even know if it's Sasuke you're facing." She made a face. "Plus, why would you want to face your own teammates anyway?"

"Actually," Sasuke cut in, getting over the moment of shock, "the person I want to fight most . . . is you."

Naruto grinned in determination. There seemed some sort of gratefulness in his eyes, grateful to be acknowledged.

"But Iruka told me to 'protect' the dobe." He smirked. "So don't worry. I won't hurt you _too_ bad."

While Kakashi held both of the boys by their collars, Sakura sighed. "_Morons_," she muttered.

After a few more jibes (accompanied by the customary Sakura Punch), Sasuke focused his attention back to the center of the room, like everyone else. Or he seemed to.

_Voice . . ._

_Hm . . . So you finally noticed what getting Dosu and the others out will mean?_

_I don't understand. Their scroll was taken last time too. Why—?_

_Their purpose, _it explained,_ was to capture one teammate of Sai's and kill the rest. Unlike last time, they are actually expected to kill you. They failed to do so—and Orochimaru is an unforgiving man._

_Ah . . ._

* * *

Shikamaru finished Kabuto's teammate, Misumi, off within five minutes. Misumi's signature strangling move needed close physical contact—something that could already be used in the Leaf-nin's advantage. After capturing the contortist in the Shadow Possession Jutsu, the boy revealed that he had tied up his kunai pouch on his left leg before the battle, instead of the usual right. When he reached down the holster for a weapon, his opponent, mirroring his moves, could get nothing, as it was strapped on his other thigh. Needless to say, Shikamaru advanced easily.

It was quick, too, when Temari faced off Kiba. Temari's fan had swept Kiba and Akamaru off their feet, literally—the two of them were in at the hospital now. There was a grim sort of silence for the Konoha-nins. Not because Temari had won, but because of the way she had finished the two off: how she had almost killed the bleeding Kiba, who'd tried to save Akamaru from the girl's cutting winds. Many of them had lived upon their parents' ideals of honor and justice, and especially mercy instead of unnecessary cruelty. Everyone knew that the ninja world wasn't sunshine and sparkles, but to see it up close and personal . . . Even those who hadn't thought much of Kiba previously held resentments to Temari.

The match between Neji and Chouji was the first round with two Leaf shinobi, and it was the one that everyone expected the victors of already. In spite of Ino's calling of "fatso," an angered Chouji, and the fact that Chouji's Human Bullet Tank made his chakra points basically impossible to penetrate, all Neji had to do was stand and watch as the Akimichi crashed into a wall. The fight was over quickly from there.

While Ino dragged a dazed Chouji from the field, Hayate announced the winner of the match. Neji was allowed to enter the finals.

But not much harm was done, Sasuke reflected dryly as he watched Chouji gobble down the fifth pack of chips (how in the world did he bring all _that_ to the Exams . . . ?). He then turned his attention back to the front, and craned his neck over Naruto, who had been cheering loudly for Chouji. He was alright to fight against anyone in the arena. But if he got Gaara, though . . .

The screen flashed, and all watched with great eagerness . . .

_Ino Yamanaka vs Tenten_

Team 10 must have had some sort of weird luck to have all three of their members picked in the first four matches, while none of Team 7 was chosen. Sasuke watched impassively as Ino muttered some words to her teammates before heading down the railing.

This, like the Neji-Chouji match, was an obvious victory for Team Gai. Tenten's speed was an obvious advantage. Ino was not likely to pull a stunt like cutting off her hair without drawing suspicions to herself, like what happened in his past life, something Naruto and Sakura had told him about. Team 10's advantage lied in their teammates' compatibility to work as a combat machine. They were ten times less efficient as ninjas separated.

"Pig . . ." Sakura had been quiet for a few moments in the waiting room after Sasuke told her what'd happened with Team Dosu. The female mind sure was strange, never saying what they truly meant directly. Like now. Even as indifferent as Sasuke was, he could still tell that she was practically restraining herself from showing worry.

"Begin."

Tenten didn't waste time hesitating. At once, the girl pulled out kunai from pockets and senbon from buns. One flash of hands to the shuriken pouch and her hands were filled with ninja stars.

Ino was forced to duck deadly weapon after deadly weapon, each landing precariously close. Her face was that of determination, but sheer will did little to deflect the onslaught.

A scythe-like object missed Ino by half an inch, while another grazed her cheek. Blood flowed freely from her wound.

The rain of kunai and shuriken ceased suddenly.

Ino hesitated.

Tenten's arms were crossed, fingers curled. It was only through the precise angle of lighting that Sasuke saw it.

Strings.

A casual fling from Tenten. Weapons twitched on the ground, and then were flung into the air. Ino was trapped; she had no way of escaping.

_Sisssssh!_ Four kunai sliced through her well-kept ponytail, leaving a short stub. Her hair scatted all over the field with the speed of the attack. Ino came out unscathed, but her cut was bleeding heavier than ever. The whole left side of her face was covered in blood.

Tenten shook her head. "Give up, Ino-san. You can't win this. I never miss a target."

The blonde girl did not respond. Strangely, instead of covering her wound, her hand was pressed against her forehead, as if her head was paining her. What was—?

Seeing that Ino wasn't about to forfeit, Tenten shook her head, and charged forward, weapons, rigged with wires, trailed after—

Tenten stopped abruptly. "What the—?"

Twenty feet in front, Ino smirked, though through pain it came out more as a grimace. Below her, one foot stepped on a small blue glowing . . . wire?

"Her hair . . ." Sakura breathed beside Sasuke. Then he saw it too. The strands of light yellow could be seen, outlined with blue chakra. The strands of hair wrapped around Tenten's ankle and rendered the girl immobile. This mimicked Shikamaru's jutsu, achieving the same effect and at the same time covering her weakness.

"You can't run now," Ino said smugly, and rightly so. In Tenten's split second of carelessness, the match was turned into her favor.

". . . No," Tenten admitted. She did not waste time struggling against. She was a weapon master. She knew how traps worked. "But I can still do _this_!"

Those motionless weapons, bound by their masters' strings, slid through the stone floor and towards Ino.

So what was faster, the velocity of wired weapons, or Ino's mind technique?

But Ino seemed confident that she would win out. She raised her pale, shaking arms.

"Mind Transfer . . . Jut . . . su . . ."

Then her eyelids drooped. Blue eyes rolled backwards and Ino fainted to the ground.

* * *

Gai Maito seemed to appear in several locations at once, kicking off the metal weapons Tenten could not stop in time.

Asuma arrived at Ino a beat slower than his fellow ninja, lifting her up in his arms, cradling her softly. But something didn't seem to sit right with him. He took one look at his student and paused in his steps.

"Medic!" he shouted.

A ninja clad in white overalls hurried to the Jounin. Soon, Kurenai joined the two and they began to discuss something.

"What happened!" Naruto was shocked.

"Sasuke . . ." Sakura's voice was shaky. "What are they saying?"

Sasuke's eyes flashed red, and focused on the small group.

"This is Kurenai. _'Genjutsu_,'" Sasuke said, lip-synching the exact words. "_'But not the normal kind, and wasn't done very cleanly either. There must be some sort of leftover stimulus in her brain, most likely unintentional. This might just be an accidental reactivation, but I'm guessing her jutsu might've triggered the genjutsu. Don't worry, though. It doesn't seem very life-threatening. Just a blackout.'_" The woman's gaze hardened. "_'The original might have been worse.'_"

Sasuke frowned. Gai was speeding over to the group of three. "Now it's Gai talking. _'A'right. This is definitely not Tenten's doings. She told me there isn't any poison in her kunai; she'd used them all in the Forest.'_

Asuma: _'We know, Gai. Kurenai thinks that it's a leftover stimulus-genjutsu, and her technique triggered it. But what__—__?' _Kurenai again._ 'Asuma, stop fretting. She's fine. Her condition is stable. The more worrying thing is _how_ the stimulus was there in the first pla__—__'_"

"Sasuke. Sakura. Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to eavesdrop?" Kakashi put hands on their shoulders. Sasuke deactivated the Sharingan, having heard Kakashi coming. "And Sakura," the man added offhandedly, "don't think of running. As admirable as it is for you to care for a fellow Konoha ninja, there is nothing you can do for Ino right now."

Sakura froze in place and glared at her sensei, something that seemed to surprise Kakashi, whether pleasantly or not. Sasuke did not speak his mind, but chose to watch Sakura carefully.

The slight tremble of her hands and the tight hunch of her shoulders told Sasuke that she hadn't forgotten about what happened in the Forest. Her eyes darted back and forth between Kakashi and Ino, who was being carried away. Sasuke suddenly wondered if he would react the same way if it was Naruto instead of Ino on that stretcher, but then realized that it was unthinkable.

Perhaps what Sakura was feeling wasn't so irrational after all.

"Now, Sakura . . ." the Jounin warned.

"I—"

"You're gonna miss the preliminary rounds," Sasuke interrupted. He met her glare evenly, and continued harshly, "You can't help her anyway. It's the truth."

_You're worthless._

That was a thought left unsaid, but still conveyed, to Sakura.

Her angered faded a bit. Sakura lowered her head, short hair framing her face.

She gave a small, bitter smile. "Yes. I guess so, then."

Sasuke could practically feel her self-loathing, hear her chanting the words _Weak, weak, weak, weak_ in her mind.

When neither Naruto or Kakashi could see him, he took her hand, gave it a squeeze, and let go. Ignoring her confused expression, he looked away, remembering a time when she would squeal with joy if he so much as looked at her.

He shook away the thought, deeming at as treacherous. After all . . . it was different now. She liked, and would most likely fall in love, with a whole different person.

And Sasuke wasn't Sai Uchiha. He was just her teammate.


	12. Failures Stand Tall!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (I don't think disclaimers are required, but people put them on anyway; better safe than sorry).**

**A/N:** A lot of action scenes. But I try to tone it done with the dialogues. As my best friend said, action scenes are never meant to exist in literature. They're an abomination, I'm telling you. ABOMINATION.

* * *

12. Failures Stand Tall! Unexpected Opponents and Surprising Results

* * *

A small column of smoke erupted near Sasuke.

It was an ANBU, in full uniform. The woman leaned to Kakashi's ear and whispered incomprehensible words into his ear.

_Hinata Hyuuga vs Kankuro_

Sasuke thought Naruto shouted something like, "Yeah! Hinata-chan! Do your best!" but was too busy attempting to eavesdrop in Kakashi's conversation. However, it was in vain, as the black ops member disappeared less than ten seconds after she arrived.

What he found interesting, however, was how Kakashi's shoulder appeared to be tightly tensed, even after the ANBU left. What did the woman say that made Kakashi lose his usual composure? Sasuke could see Sakura was just about to ask Kakashi the exact same thing, but was foiled when Kakashi abruptly left in a second puff of smoke.

Even Naruto noticed it. "Eh? Where did Kakashi-sensei go?"

Sakura frowned. "Doesn't he want to stay and watch our fights?"

However, their train of thought was cut off when Hayate announced the beginning of the matches.

Sasuke chose to watch the ground below instead of saying anything. The truth was, he had somewhat of an idea what Kakashi was summoned for. Anko Mitarashi had to be discovered in the Forest by now, dead or alive. Orochimaru's presence would be known soon, if not already. But what troubled more him was the fact that it was not Kurenai or Asuma or Gai or even the Sandaime that was summoned, but Kakashi only. Surely they would want to inform the Hokage of the world's most wanted criminal, roaming in his own village?

His thoughts were interrupted by a dull _thunk!_ from below. There, Kankuro rested his arms on top of a cylinder-like, bandaged object. It was the life-size puppet his always carried around. Hinata stood a few feet away, her feet shoulder-width apart, knees almost touching, and arms outstretched: a typical Gentle Fist stance, one that Sasuke had seen many times during the Fourth Shinobi World War with the Leaf Hyuugas. Kankuro stared steadily, almost mockingly, into Hinata's eyes, as if unafraid of the legendary Byakuugan.

"You don't have a chance against me even with your dojutsu, and you know it, little miss." He raised one hand in a half-shrug. "How 'bout you forfeit and have it done with?"

To others, Kankuro might seem like he was bragging, being so confident about his abilities. Anyone with eyes, however, could see that bead of sweat across his forehead. It may just be the heat of the room, but Sasuke guessed that the Sand boy wasn't as fearless against a Hyuuga main house as he claimed.

"N-no. I'll n-never g-give up!" said Hinata, and Sasuke was suddenly reminded of Naruto. "That's m-my nindo, my ninja way!"

And then, out of nowhere, she broke her stance. Instead of the Hyuugas' famous clan attacks, which were probably what Kankuro expected, her fingers twisted to form a seal. Sasuke sneaked a glance to Neji and saw a furrow in the Hyuuga's brow, clearly disapproving.

Her opponent took a step back, unsure what she was about to do. He couldn't possibly have known all the Hyuuga clan technique.

But then she uttered, "Clone Jutsu!" and, sure enough, two clones materialized behind Hinata.

Kankuro laughed. "What, an Academy school trick? Why, beating you will be simple for a first-class ninja like me." He flexed his fingers experimentally. Sasuke thought he could hear the finger joints cracking, but he wasn't sure.

The clones' hands flew into a seal. "Byakuugan!" Veins popped up along their eyes.

Without waiting for her opponent, the three Hinatas charged for Kankuro, palms raised to strike.

Sasuke had witnessed the strength of the Gentle Fist techniques before, how skilled the Hyuuga clan was in the realms of taijutsu especially. But he also knew how vital Kankuro was to the invasion of Konoha. "One of the strongest Genin from Suna," he thought the boy was called.

So of course he was surprised that, after the blur of strikes and blows, there Kankuro lay on the ground with a kunai to his throat.

Naruto was ecstatic. "Yay, she won! Hinata-chan, I knew you could do it!"

The two other Sand siblings looked unperturbed, which definitely was not the reaction they should have if Kankuro was losing. Suspicion mounting, Sasuke blinked, eyes bleeding red.

The Sharingan was stemmed partly from the Byakuugan (although he distinctly remembered Madara claiming that it actually originated from the Rinnegan?). So, in a sense, the Sharingan was a hybrid (read: better evolved form) of the Byakuugan. If Sasuke concentrated very, very hard, he could . . .

Wait. What the—Sasuke shook his head to look again, because what he saw just wasn't making sense—

Beside him, Sakura gasped, the only warning before Kankuro jumped to his feet, reenergized. Hinata tried to throw her kunai, but it deflected off the boy's shoulder, taking along it a chunk of a plaster-like something. Horrified, Hinata stepped back, but before she knew it, her opponent flew to her at an impossible speed—almost as if he was gliding along the floor—and circled his arms around her in a deadly, strangling embrace.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted out, horrified.

Bits of ceramic and makeup cracked from "Kankuro's" face, revealing a hideous, three-eyed puppet, Crow.

"As I said—" With morbid fascination, everyone watched as the previously inanimate bundle unwrapped itself. The real Kankuro stood up and patted his trousers of dust, smirking triumphantly. "—beating you is simple for a first-class puppet master like me!"

* * *

Kankuro, however, had spoken too soon.

No sooner had he finished had the Hinata in the puppet's arms disappear in a _poof!_. When the smoke cleared, there was _another_, identical puppet Crow, lying useless on the ground.

Kankuro took a shocked stepped back, then scowled furiously. His arms waved and twirled, his fingers twitched and stretched, but neither puppet moved.

Instead, the first Crow turned to its owner and lunged for Kankuro. Caught by surprise, the boy was unable to retaliate as the puppet pushed him back, hard, with one wooden hand. It didn't seem like much, but Sasuke knew one of the deadly effects of chakra points—the Hyuuga specialty—was the invisible wounds.

Joints rattling, the puppet glided towards Kankuro again. Instead of beating the boy to submission, she dispelled her Henge. When the smoke cleared, Crow was replaced with a slightly bruised and panting Hinata with her kunai at her opponent's throat.

To an utterly silent crowd, Hayate cleared his throat and declared Hinata victorious.

* * *

"Completely unfair!" Sasuke dimly heard Temari protest. "She violated the rules—sought help from that boy . . ." But her words were the faint buzz in the background compared to Naruto's exuberant cheers.

"Wow, Hinata-chan! That was amazing!" Naruto was awestruck.

Shino stood a little back. He had been the first one to congratulate Hinata for her victory—both Kiba and Kurenai having left earlier. Then, with a slight nod of his head, Shino allowed his teammate to join Team 7, where Naruto promptly enveloped the girl in a bear hug.

"N-N-Naruto-kun!"

"Treat the lady with respect, idiot Naruto!" Sakura screeched. "Hinata's choking!"

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Hina-chan. Are you okay?"

Hinata's eyes fluttered. "H-hai . . . Thank you, Naruto-kun . . ."

"But, seriously, that was one of the most awesome battles I've ever seen! The way you managed to substitute yourself for the puppet? And that final strike? It was ah-MAZING! And incredible! I never knew you're so strong . . ."

Obviously, Kankuro had forgotten one of the crucial abilities of the Byakuugan (and, of course, to some extent, the Sharingan): visualizing chakra. When she activated her Byakuugan, Hinata saw the real Kankuro hidden himself as the puppet. Crow's surprise attack was probably planned as well. After cutting the puppet's chakra strings, Hinata Henged herself to look like Crow, while placing a genjutsu on the puppet so it seemed that Hinata was Crow and Crow was Hinata. She then allowed herself to be chakra-strung by Kankuro, delivering the last attack when Kankuro showed himself with his guards down.

Sasuke had heard that the Hyuugas were particularly bad at genjutsu, but having Kurenai, the genjutsu master, as a sensei must've affected her fighting style. If Kankuro had previously studied the Hyuuga clan for the invasion . . . well, all the more surprise for him when he ended up being defeated this way.

* * *

_Naruto Uzumaki vs Yoroi Akado_

Naruto beamed. "Yeah! This match is in the _bag_, man. Believe it!"

With that, the blond leapt over the railing. A flashy entrance is always the best, as he was taught.

Unfortunately, he ended up tripping over the metal bars and landed square on his face.

"Ngh . . ."

Sasuke pulled him up by the leg over the crowd's laughing background, and then proceeded on whacking Naruto over the head. The blond was just about to yell at his best friend (screw dignity! He was a _ninja_) when Sasuke leaned forward, his mouth beside his ears.

Sasuke whispered some words into Naruto's ears.

"Oh!" Naruto got it. "Thanks, Sasu—"

Then the boy straightened his back and whacked Naruto over the head. His balance failed. Naruto dropped from the overlooking balconies and fell on the floor with a loud crash, legs twitching upward.

Thank goodness for his thick skull.

"BASTARD!"

The muffled holler only added to the Genins' laughter.

* * *

"That," Sakura began, "was harsh. Even for Naruto."

"It won't hurt him." The dead-last had skin so thick he wouldn't even feel it.

She crossed her arms and then turned her back from the other teams. Deliberately, he later found out.

_Sharingan_, she mouthed.

Then, out loud, Sakura shouted, "Baka! What if Naruto got hurt before the prelims! You didn't have to dump him off like that _even_ if it didn't hurt him," and punched him. Then she gave him a glare that told Sasuke _even_ if it was a cover-up, she meant the punch.

Sasuke winced (part of the act too, of course—he wasn't scared of her punches, _really_), but retained his composure. "It doesn't matter. The dobe didn't feel a thing."

He activated his Sharingan, pretending to glare at her. In truth, he was really decoding the words silently said by Sakura.

"Well, he _did_ save us in the Forest . . ." _What did you say to Naruto? And don't tell me it was nothing. I saw you mutter words, and that was _something_._

He scowled. Even when she wasn't talking, Sakura annoyed him.

"So? That was nothing important . . ."

_I have blackmail against you._ "You really should be more grateful. It's not everyday someone would be willing to sacrifice for a prick like you."

"How so?" He raised a challenging brow.

"He is your best friend." She smiled slyly then uttered three more silent syllables.

_Chi-do-ri. You learned it without Kakashi's permission, didn't you?_

So she did witness him using the electrical attack after all. This was getting . . . troublesome.

"And that is blackmail? Why, I can torture the dobe whenever I want to. _Trust me_." He emphasized the last two words.

Sakura frowned at his refusal to "_spill_," as she mouthed next. But Sasuke pretended not to see, instead training his eyes on the match below.

Not that Naruto's match against Yoroi was anything unimportant, but Sasuke would rather no one find out about his secrets still . . .

* * *

Naruto knew Yoroi was Kabuto's teammate, which meant that he'd probably failed the Chuunin Exams more than a few times. The boy grinned. Like he'd said, this match was in the _bag_.

The moment after Hayate announced for the match to begin, Naruto's fingers were in that familiar cross.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Kabuto was a nice guy . . . but it didn't mean Naruto wouldn't fight with his all just 'cuz Yoroi was his teammate.

Exactly sixty copies of the future Hokage himself appeared across the gray-slabbed floor. Yoroi didn't even have the time to pull out a shuriken.

"We'll beat this guy up in no time!" one said in the far right.

"Yeah! Believe it when we say that we're gonna _kick your butt_!" another bragged.

"It's THE Great Uzumaki Naruto-sama for you!"

"Right here, right now! It's a win for us!"

It was hard to tell behind the face-mask-flap thing . . . but did Yoroi just sneer at him?

Blue eyes narrowed while the Narutos' lips jutted outward (and it was _not_ a pout! It was a manly sign of . . . of . . . er . . . annoyance! Yeah!). If there was one thing Naruto hated in this world (besides ramen-haters, of course!), it was an opponent who didn't take him seriously.

"In a second that smile will be wiped off your face by our sheer awesomeness!" he shouted.

"You'd be too busy begging us for mercy!"

Yoroi finally moved, his hands flashing quick signs. A weird blue glow appeared around his palms.

"Now let's see about that, don't we?" Yoroi taunted.

They took one look at him, and laughed. "AHAHAHA! That's the best you can do, stupid glowing fingers? Well," the original said, wiping his thumb across his nose lightly, "if that's what you want, then . . ."

Each of Naruto's clones took out a kunai and said confidently, ". . . UZUMAKI NARUTO _CHAAAARGE_!"

The arena thundered with the sound of running footsteps, aiming straight for Yoroi.

This was going to be a piece of cake.

* * *

Shadow clones. Of course. The dobe was more predictable than Kiba as to what strategies he would use . . .

That was, none.

The reason Sasuke had told Naruto about Yoroi's ability was simple: he needed Naruto to go on to the finals. If they really couldn't stop Gaara from turning Shukaku, at least he would be there to stop it again. It was a painful alternative, one that promised many risks. But it was a backup plan. If the worse came to the worse, it would be his only plan.

And that still depended on Naruto's victory . . . though Sasuke wasn't especially worried. Naruto had a vast amount of chakra reserve, and wasn't sealed by Orochimaru this time. It was all the matter of stamina, and no one matched Naruto's.

As simpleminded as his friend was, the odds were against Yoroi. Soon the man would grow weary and run out of chakra.

Surely then Naruto would win?

Down below on the match, Naruto was . . . confused.

It wasn't because his five dozen clones were _poof_ing away left and right—he could always make more. It wasn't because the match had already gone for fifteen minutes already, and Yoroi still hadn't broken a sweat (and was, in fact, grinning more wickedly than before). And it wasn't because he was losing confidence either.

No. Naruto was confused because of the lack of _memory_. Every single time a clone disappeared, a flood of memory would always come back to him in quick flashes, followed by a steady flow of chakra (albeit less than before). Now . . . he could see them poofing off, but he, the original, felt nothing. Nada. Zilch. Not a single shred.

Were his Shadow Clones failing?

Yoroi was still killing off the clones. And whenever Naruto got near Yoroi, he felt like part of his energy was leaving him. He had a lot of chakra in reserve (he would _modestly_ admit), and it didn't bother him as much as it should've. But Naruto had a nasty feeling that, wherever his energy went, it was helping the enemy.

"_His fingers draw in chakra. The longer you stall, the more energy he gains."_

That was what Sasuke had said. The epiphany struck him like a lightning bolt. So that was where the clones' memories went? When his clones no longer had chakra, did it mean that they memories didn't have enough energy to travel back? It sounded sketchy, but that was the best he could make of it. If it was true . . .

Naruto was down to twenty Buushins, and Yoroi was still going strong, choking clone after clone. Now Naruto finally understood—

He raised a finger. "You're sucking my clones' chakra so I can't get their memories!"

Yoroi turned with a leer. Without a word, he closed his fingers around Naruto.

"So you finally realized?" the man drawled. "Too bad a loser like you couldn't keep your mouth shut. I would've had fun catching the real one."

Naruto managed to smirk behind the squeezing fingers.

"Well, you're lucky then." _Poof!_ The clone turned to smoke. Bewildered, Yoroi whipped his head around, only to be met with a fist. "Because you'll find this _really_ fun!"

BAM! The man flew off into the air from impact.

Naruto was pleased.

"WHOO-HOO! Not so tough now, are you?" all of his clones chorused.

Yoroi rose up from the ground, wiping blood off the edge of his brow.

He gave a dark, low chuckle and grabbed the nearest clone, sucking its chakra cleaned.

"Foolish boy . . . Don't you realize that, if you keep on multiplying yourself, you'll have no more chakra left?"

Without another word, he dashed through the crowd of orange and yellow. Yoroi took out two metal scalpels, and proceeded on with his slaughter, but with a speed greater than before.

"He's using all our chakra for his speed!" shouted one Naruto before disappearing, since via memories could no longer work as communication.

"Gotcha!" the original shouted, along with the surviving five clones.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Fifty more clones popped up, replacing the ones that were gone. The clones paired off, and half of them shouted, "Henge no Jutsu!"

A fuuma shuriken appeared in each clone's hand. Naruto bent down with the weight, but managed to throw the weapon across the room, like all the others around him.

If he did the math correctly, there were exactly twenty-eight shuriken right now, hurtling toward Yoroi.

He wouldn't miss.

* * *

Dust covered the entire grounds. Naruto dismissed all of his clones and knelt down beside a wall, panting heavily.

The Shadow Clones and Transformation had taken a toll on him. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as the first time he used the clone technique against Mizuki, or the time when he almost killed Haku with the Nine-Tails possessing him, but it was exhausting enough.

The fight was over. He'd won. Naruto lifted his head up with a lopsided grin, showing half of his teeth. The fight was over. And now he could—

A single scalpel knife flew from the dust. Naruto twisted his head just in time for it to stick to the wall behind. The blade carved into the stone, parallel from the ground.

Naruto tried hastily to form a handsign, but to no avail. A shadow burst from the smoke and took form of Yoroi Akado, his eyes gleaming maliciously behind his pair of sunglasses. In his hand held a second scalpel.

_Sling!_

The scalpel joined the other one on the wall, missing Naruto by an inch. Yoroi cussed and Naruto ducked, sweeping down for a kick. Yoroi had no choice but to jump away. Naruto was able to roll away from his adversary.

Yoroi pulled out both razors with a mighty tug and faced Naruto.

Behind him was a small slab of rock, leftover from Neji's match. Substitution jutsu. Naruto had wasted all of his clones' forces on a Substitution.

"See what I mean?" His opponent threw the two blades casually. Naruto was able to block it with his kunai. With his hands freed, Yoroi's fingers glowed in what seemed like an eerier blue than last time. "You've planned the wrong strategies. Brute force won't work against me, the chakra use you works _for_ me." Yoroi advanced two more steps. Naruto, out of all times, tripped over his feet, and landed on his rear end. As Yoroi took another step forward, Naruto's only way of moving was to crawl, like a crab. "And your clones simply hastened the process."

What were his options left? There was no time for bravado, he would have to focus. Nearly all of his chakra was depleted, leaving only so much for him to fight so long. Taijutsu . . . forget about it. He would be knocked out in seconds with those leech hands. Weapons . . . The Forest of Death had burned his supplies down to the bare minimum. The kunai was one of the last decent ones he had left.

There was nothing.

Yoroi seemed to know this too. With a last haughty laugh, he charged for Naruto's throat.

* * *

Of course, you would expect Naruto to run away, last minute, or to perform a spectacular jutsu combination that knocked Yoroi out. Naruto was good with turning the tides when all hope seemed lost.

Or, at least, that was what Sasuke thought.

But Naruto didn't. He didn't rise up from the ground, not even that millisecond before Yoroi clutched his windpipe. Not even when Yoroi continued to suck out his energy as he was held down by a knee, with the other hand on his forehead. Sasuke couldn't believe it. Naruto . . . was being defeated?

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted against the railing.

Naruto struggled less and less as his energy was absorbed by Yoroi. The proctor Hayate watched the match calmly, like the other Jounin on the field. They were accustomed to this.

Sasuke was vaguely aware of the thing known as pain shooting up his white, clenched knuckles, he was gripping the metal bars so hard.

"DOBE!" he suddenly shouted. "GET UP AND _FIGHT_, YOU MORON!"

Well. That attracted everyone's attention.

Naruto's eyelids fluttered open. "Teme . . . ?"

"UZUMAKI NARUTO!" Sakura, if possible, screeched even louder. Sasuke prayed for everyone's eardrums. "I SWEAR, IF YOU DON'T GET UP THERE RIGHT THIS INSTANCE, I WILL KICK YOUR ASS SO HARD YOU'LL HAVE TO BE KAGE IN _SUNAGAKURE_!"

The Sand Siblings looked rather offended by Sakura's words.

"Naruto-kun!" Sasuke saw Hinata pray silently for the blond.

Naruto gave a weak, whiskered smile. "Heh . . ."

Then his body grew limp. Naruto didn't get up.

* * *

Drip, drip, drip.

The cell was dark and wet. An eerie orange light shone against the walls—torchlight, flickering against small crevices and dripping water.

In front of Naruto was a huge cell of about fifty feet in height. Iron bars stretched from floor to ceiling, blocking the hall. The kanji 封 was imprinted upon a simple paper seal over the only exit of the giant cell. Behind it, malicious eyes glowed red.

The Nine-Tail Demon Fox.

_Looks like you need my power after all._ The Kyuubi laughed. _Hahahaha . . . Don't worry. I'll lend you some of my chakra this time. _There was an evil gleam in its eyes._ The more reliant you are on me, the easier it will be for my seal to break._ _Take it, then, Naruto. Soon, you will feel the addiction of power, and let's hope little Sasuke won't be there to ruin our party . . ._

Orange matter bubbled from the ground, enclosing upon Naruto—

He opened his eyes and saw Yoroi scrambling backwards, holding his hand, which appeared to be red and swelling. Yoroi was burned.

By what? But Naruto had no time to think, as his opponent immediately rose from the ground. His face, contorted from pain, promised nastiness to come.

"AH!"

The man that was currently in front of Naruto puffed away into smoke. An illusion. Yoroi had tried to sneak up on him with a Buushin.

But the one rolling on the floor, clutching his own hand, was certainly the real Yoroi. Just for the fun of it, Naruto prodded him with a toe.

Mistake. Yoroi flipped himself up. His glasses were broken from the last fall, making the guy look even scarier than before.

"Red . . . chakra . . ." Yoroi huffed out, and then holding up two scalpels.

That must be it! Yoroi couldn't absorb the Nine-Tail's chakra. That meant . . . his opponent's only advantage was gone.

And _that_ meant . . .

* * *

_That dobe . . ._ Sasuke thought, smirking. He almost had him going there.

Even Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wow . . . the moron lived . . ."

"I won't be so outdone—MULTI-SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

_Poof poof poof poof poof!_

It sounded a lot like a machine gun, there were so many Kage Buushins popping up everywhere. This time, they literally covered the entire field.

"DATTEBAYO!" they roared.

Except for the members of Team 7, everyone's jaw dropped on the floor.

Yes, of course. Naruto's trademark: brute force and head-on combat. This time, however, Yoroi wouldn't get out of it so easily.

Indeed, the man himself understood this too, judging by his increasing paleness and small, timid steps back.

"You really think you can defeat me with the same old technique?" Yoroi tried to bluster his way out. But even his hands were shaking now for the beating that was to come.

At this, the Narutos tilted their heads, thoughtful.

"You're right," the one closest to Yoroi said, completely serious. Now it was time for Sasuke's jaw to drop. W-w-was Naruto really serious about this? He was letting Yoroi go because of _that_?

"_But_—" all the Narutos grinned, evilly "—I have another way to beat you."

Seeing the pure maliciousness in the blond expression (and multiply it by two hundred clones), Sasuke couldn't help but gulp himself.

"Now . . . for my secret weapon . . ."

In an attempt at being dramatic (another thing Naruto was good at), the hundreds of Shadow Clones lifted their hands up slowly.

"He's trying to use Thunder Release!" Sakura exclaimed, excited. "Yoroi won't stand a chance!"

"No," Sasuke countered. "It's too advanced. He's using a genjutsu. That is clearly the seal for Mythical Illusion: Burning Grounds."

Both of their guesses were wrong, and the speculation ended abruptly as the Narutos' hands formed into a familiar hand sign, one that mimicked the giant statue behind them.

Sasuke knew what was going to happen before anyone else . . .

"Transform!" Narutos grinned. "HAREM NO JUTSU!"

Hell was unleashed in the form of two hundred Narukos.

"Yoroi-sama!" all of the half-naked girls screamed and squealed, trying to reach for Yoroi, whose nosebleed propelled him all the way to the ceiling. The males in the audience promptly fainted from blood loss.

Needless to say, Naruto was declared winner immediately.

* * *

While the medics hauled Yoroi away on a stretcher (he'd gotten a stroke, that poor guy), Sakura dragged Naruto back up to Team 7's corner and used him as a bat to swing at the unconscious Sasuke over the head.

"Ow!" Naruto moaned, clutching his head. Just whose idea was it to give the extremely bipolar Sakura superstrength?

Sasuke was slow to recover, blinking his eyes open blearily. Then he saw Naruto, which reminded him of the image of Naruko. He wanted to faint back to blissful unconsciousness.

Never, never in his two lives, had Sasuke been so scarred. Not even with Karin, or Orochimaru. Nothing had prepared him for the horror of . . . _this_.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" Sakura screeched, holding Naruto up and shaking the boy by his collar. "YOU COULD'VE USED THE FUUMA SHURIKEN COMBO LIKE BEFORE, OR EVEN JUST PILE ON TOP OF HIM IN A CHARGE, AND JUST WIN WITH FREAKIN' _HONOR_ AND _DIGNITY_. BUT _NO_! YOU JUST _HAD_ TO GO OUT THERE AND PULL THIS KIND OF STUPID _STUNT_!" she screamed into his ear.

Naruto muttered something like "nata save me" before his eyes rolled back, unconscious from chakra exhaustion.

Sakura blinked, having been deprived of a torture target. She considered the point of double-slapping Naruto until he was conscious enough for her to scream at, but then decided that he probably wouldn't stay awake long enough either way.

Her attention was diverted to her other teammate.

"_You_."

"Me." Sasuke could think of nothing else to say.

And Sakura chose her victim.

* * *

"Man, I feel great!" Naruto shouted happily. "It doesn't hurt at all! Thanks, Hinata-chan!"

Beside him, Hinata blushed. Kurenai was at the hospital with Ino to provide help with the medics, as was Kiba, though for a different reason. She had come with Team 7 to patch Naruto up a little. Shino was a few ways behind her, watching with a neutral expression.

"I-I-It's a m-medicine I u-used on missions that I-I brought to-d-day, Naruto-kun. I d-didn't get the chance for K-Kiba," she said quietly, pushing her index fingers together. "Hope-f-fully it w-works al-l-right."

Naruto blushed too. "It works perfectly!" He jumped to his feet and stretched his muscles, posing like a male model. Hinata giggled shyly. "See? It's—Ow! Kuso . . ."

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata rushed over to steady him.

"Hinata! You're too soft on him!" Sakura clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "That idiot needs to be kept on a leash, he's so much like a dog (I mean, seriously, a _Harem_ Jutsu?). Show him that fierceness we saw from you against Kankuro!"

"No!" Naruto stood in front of Hinata as if to protect her from his crazy teammate. "Hinata's perfect! You can't change her! . . . Eh? Hinata-chan! What happened? Why did you faint?" He looked at Sakura and Sasuke frantically. "What did I do wrong?"

Sasuke watched their banter against the wall with little words, partly fuming when Sakura had caught up with him to give the boy "a beating to remember". As far as he knew, he'd done nothing wrong but faint (oh, his poor, vulnerable eyes). There were a few bandages across his cheek and one over his nose: souvenirs earned from Surviving Sakura.

But now Naruto was just being stupid. And, as a universal rule, morons were entitled to insults from their superior rivals.

So Sasuke said the best insult he could think of.

"Dobe."

"What?"

"You are being absolutely idiotic."

"What's that suppose to mean!"

_Poof!_

Kakashi appeared from god-knows-where on top of the railing. For some reason, there was no book in his hand this time.

"Yo. Did the match start yet?"

Sakura huffed. "As if you would care, leaving in the middle of your students' matches."

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei. You missed my awesome battle against Yoroi!" Naruto glared with a childish pout. "I totally knocked him out!"

"Don't ask," Sakura and Sasuke said together.

Kakashi chuckled, and the paused, as if forgotten something.

"Hinata Hyuuga."

The just-conscious Hinata started at her name. "Y-yes?"

"The next match is about to start. Why don't you join your team?"

She nodded briefly, face flaming. "H-hai."

As she scurried away, Naruto took a few steps to run up to her (partly due to Sakura's violent promptings of elbow jabs). "Wait, Hinata-chan!" He stopped in front of her, catching her wrist.

Hinata, if possible, turned an even deeper shade of red. "Naruto-k-kun?"

He scratched the back of his head and looked away, embarrassed. "Um . . . um . . . I just want to thank you, you know, for helping me at the Written and now and . . . stuff, yeah."

"O-oh." Hinata sounded slightly disappointed.

This made Naruto panic. "Er. I mean, it's really nice and I really appreciate it, but I feel kinda guilty for not, um, giving you some stuff back. So . . ." Behind Hinata, Sakura cupped her lips and mouthed the syllables _I-chi-ra-ku_. Naruto gave Hinata a nervous smile. "After the prelims, why don't we celebrate at Ichiraku's? Have you been there? No? Well, you've gotta go! Old man's got the best ramen in town," he told her eagerly.

"R-really?" Hinata's face shone. "I-I . . . would really appreciate that. Thanks, Naruto-kun," she said it without stuttering.

And then fainted again.

"NO, HINATA-CHAN! YOU FAINTED AGAIN! SOMEONE! MEDIC! HINATA-CHAN IS DYING! SHE—"

Shino came over and, ever so calmly, punched the blond in the stomach.

"OW OW OW OW OW OW!"

The word "idiot" could be heard clearly even where Sasuke stood.

He couldn't agree more.

* * *

At last, the delay was over, and Hayate stepped up to the stage (in addition to lung problems, the man seemed to have some kind of blood disease as well, and did not react well to the nosebleed). After coughing a few more times, he finally announced for the Genins to be matched up again.

"I hope it's my turn," said Sakura earnestly. "Waiting here makes me jittery. Sometimes it's just best to get it over with. Don't you think so, Sasuke?"

"Hn . . ." His eyes invariably drifted to Gaara, of Sand.

There were only five more Genins left to be matched: Sasuke and Sakura, plus Shino, Lee, and Gaara. Sasuke could handle Shino and Lee easily (burning insects and genjutsu), but Gaara . . . facing Gaara . . . Well, he wouldn't want it to come down to that. But if the worse came to the worse, he would do his best in revealing the boy as what he really was, and hopefully have the Jounin to bar Gaara from the Chuunin Exams.

The screen flickered with names once more . . .

And this time, to Sasuke's great surprise, his name did appear.

But what surprised him even more . . . was his opponent.

Because, there, written in blank, robotic letters were the words:

_Sasuke vs Sakura Haruno_

* * *

**A/N:** Cliffhanger. DUN DUN DUN!

Exams are finally over (thank goodness for that)! Will try to find time for review-replies . . .

(And and and—did you see the newest manga chapter? RANDOM PLOT TWIST and, of course, SAKURA IN THE SCENE! It's about time, Mr. Kishi!)


	13. Torn Apart! Sasuke's Indecision

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

13. Torn Apart! Sasuke's Indecision

"Haruno Sakura and Sasuke-san, please come down for your match." Hayate, amazingly, managed to say that without coughing once.

Sasuke didn't move from his position, choosing to stand there with his eyes trained upon the LED screen.

No way. There was no way. They'd never paired teammate up against teammate before. And why did he have to pair with Sakura? He—He—couldn't—

He couldn't fight her . . .

"Sasuke, Sakura," Kakashi said, as if they didn't hear clearly. "Your match is starting."

Naruto didn't speak.

Finally Sakura moved, shuffling her feet. "Better get this over with," she said quietly.

She didn't meet his eye. Her face was turned away from Sasuke as she headed downstairs.

But it was what she whispered, unheard by others, that really caught his attention.

"_You wanted to become Chuunin. You said so."_

Without really meaning to, he marched for the arena.

* * *

There they moved in dead silence, and there they stood, thirty feet apart. A gentle mutter drifted in the background, of surprise and disregard, and more than once Sasuke heard the words "the boy already won." He was sure Sakura heard it too.

Sasuke raised his eyes and saw that Sakura was already in a fighting position, her favored defensive back stance with a knife-hand block: one hand poised in front, elbow arced, and the other loosely at her waist. Her eyes were hidden beneath her bangs.

Reluctantly, Sasuke did the same.

Thousands of thoughts ran through his brain, a last attempt at denial. What was he doing? Why was he fighting Sakura? This wasn't natural—They were teammates! They weren't supposed to be fighting each other.

He snuck a look at Kakashi, who had always said a lot about putting teammates first. But he could gather nothing from the Jounin's stony expression.

"Begin," Hayate said weakly.

No one moved.

Sakura continued to hold her stance while Sasuke did . . . nothing.

Seconds ticked by, turning into minutes—and still neither moved a muscle. The audience members' murmurs rose into questioning confusion. Why weren't they fighting? What were they waiting for? Did they not want to advance?

It was after three full minutes of inactivity that Hayate stepped forward, as if to interfere. However, Sakura spoke first.

"Sasuke," she said. She lifted her head and revealed hard, unwavering eyes. "Don't go easy on me."

Then Sakura relaxed her stance altogether, now standing quite defenseless. Surprised, Sasuke did so too. But he didn't attack.

People were talking loudly now. He could see, from the corner of his eye, Neji Hyuuga crossing his arms with a cynical expression, while Temari of Sand openly laughed at the two of them in scorn. Tenten was watching with something similar to anger, and Hinata looked slightly scared.

As time went on and nothing happened, even the Jounin were fazed, whispering to each other with eyebrows raised.

Surprisingly, Naruto was one of the few who did not speak. He stayed quiet beside an equally silent Kakashi, watching.

"Sasuke," Sakura began again. Her tone was terse and carefully devoid of emotion. His eyes snapped back to her face as a bead of sweat slid down his spine. "We're not sparring. You have to face me with everything you've got. Don't hold back this time." Her eyes narrowed.

When he did not respond in any way, Sakura frowned.

"_Sasuke_."

He said not a word.

Her jaw clenched. "Then I'll force you to fight me."

And Sakura charged at him, in a speed he had thought impossible for her. Her hands formed a flash of seals, and three Sakuras appeared on either of her side.

Clone Jutsu.

Disoriented, Sasuke staggered. He was caught completely off guard. At once, five feet away, two clones disappeared and Sakura came forward for a punch.

It didn't land. Sasuke had gotten over the moment of uncertainty to sidestep the punch.

But he still didn't attack.

"Sasuke. You have to face me sometime." There was a kunai in either of her hands, one drawn back over the opposite shoulder while the other aimed straight. Her face was partially hidden beneath the crook of her elbow, but Sasuke could see that her face held every inch of the determination she possessed in the Forest of Death. Whatever hesitation there was for her at the start of the match, it was gone now.

"Fight me."

* * *

"What is Sasuke doing? Surely he doesn't expect to win by just _running_," Gai said, slightly stunned that someone wouldn't fight with their all. "I understand that they are teammates, but it is not as if teammates are never paired up in a match together; if anything, their fight should be even fiercer. After all, teammates trust each other, and this is hardly—"

Kakashi shook his head. "No. It's not that."

"Sasuke can't bring it on to himself to hurt Sakura after all . . ." Naruto's eyes were staring intently to the field.

Beside Gai, Tenten raised her eyebrows. "Is it because she's a girl? If that's true, I'm gonna—"

"No," said Naruto.

His sensei scratched the back of his head. "See . . . It's more complicated than that . . ." Seeing Tenten's glare, he added, "Sasuke—well, Sasuke has always been very protective of Sakura, even when we first met."

"I don't get it," Tenten deadpanned. Her usual polite courtesy was forgotten in the regard of sexism.

Kakashi sighed. He was never good with emotions, especially other people's. "Well . . . let me put it this way. Sakura is a smart girl. She knows that this—this match up—is a coincidence, and it can't be helped. But Sasuke . . . I'm afraid he hasn't decided yet. His mind is going through a period of mild confusion. You can say that fighting his own teammate is almost against his nature. And . . . though loyalty is always, always treasured in the shinobi world, he—it's simply hard for him to fight, for real, against Sakura. In other words," he turned to the battle below, "this is probably the most difficult battle Sasuke has yet faced, emotionally."

Tenten looked at Neji for one millisecond, before turning away, clearly disturbed. No one noticed.

Naruto's knuckles were white with strain from clenching the bars.

"Teme . . ."

* * *

Below his sensei and teammate, Sasuke was facing a problem.

He wasn't quite sure why, but he couldn't move. He was stuck on the floor, his feet glued to the ground, every muscle in his body telling him to stop and don't pull out a kunai and hurt Sakura because Sakura was his teammate, his friend, his "person," (not to mention that annoying Someone he Sometimes valued as More Than a Teammate, only in his thoughts) and it would be the end of the world if he ever tried to harm her—like how he almost killed her in his past life.

(Half an inch of a distance . . . It was that close.)

Drawing a weapon now—it reminded him too much of his past mistakes.

But right now wasn't the time to think about this. That logical side of him was yelling at him now for doing nothing. This was a match, it said, where the winner went to the _Chuunin Exam finals_, and he was against _Sakura_. A simple genjutsu would finish her off, and it won't even hurt her. She was a friend (Logic wisely chose to ignore his last thought), yes, but was she hesitating to punch him now? No! It wasn't about _protecting_ her. If anything, defeating her now _was_ protecting her from the greater, more dangerous invasion of Konoha that was to come. Had he forgotten about his other goal, the goal that couldn't be accomplished without rising up in ninja ranks, the one that involved _bringing Itachi back to Konoha_? Standing there, dodging her attacks but doing nothing to fight back . . . it was illogical and stupid.

The argument managed to, after time, hold some sway to his decision.

And he decided.

One genjutsu. It wouldn't hurt her.

There was nothing wrong with that.

Sasuke was just about to take out a kunai to parry Sakura's attack, when—

_The bloated red moon shone high overhead, a mirror of Eternal Mangekyou, a picture burned forever into Sasuke's retina as Madara stabbed Naruto and Sakura straight through the heart._

_They fell, and the world crashed into pieces._

"_Sasuke-kun . . ." Sakura managed to get out before her throat was filled with blood._

_Her eyes shut close, never to open again._

Sasuke blinked, and the memory was gone.

His resolve wavered.

But in that brief moment of distraction, his opponent was able to gain the upper hand. Sakura's kunai knife swung for his face, and he ducked a second too late. The sharp blade managed to nick a shred of his hair, which could be seen drifting to the ground as the two separated, jumping away.

Sasuke shook his head. No. That memory . . . it was from a different lifetime. Nothing of importance now.

He needed to _focus_.

"Fight me, Sasuke!" Sakura shouted.

"_Fight me, Sasuke." Fierce eyes, bloodied face. "Fight me and kill me and there will finally be proof that Konoha can't trust you."_

But . . .

"No."

Side-flip, _shuriken shuriken shuriken_, dodge, _kunai kunai kunai_, flip, punch, duck—

Suddenly, he was falling. He was falling through trees and leaves and branches with nothing but a dark abyss below. Branches whipped his face, scarring, cutting through skin and bloodying his face. His stomach flopped strangely inside, but that was nothing compared to the realization that—

He was falling to his death.

His Sharingan appeared automatically, dispelling the genjutsu. Then he saw Sakura's leg, coming down for his head.

His hands reached up and stopped her in midair. The same happened as Sakura swung her foot around for another kick.

He was able to block her . . . with the Sharingan.

It was then that Sasuke understood what Sakura was trying to do. Her small, triumphant smirk told him that her plan had worked too: she'd brought out the Sharingan, something he'd never used during their spars.

"Clone Jutsu!"

Pink-haired buushins appeared throughout the field, a silent mirage. There must be over a hundred, all of them wearing the same determined expression on their faces.

The number was impressive, especially since she was Sakura, the girl lacking most in stamina. Right now wasn't the time to admire her work though. Sasuke scanned over the crowd of pink, his eyes narrowing.

She must have an ulterior plan. Sakura wouldn't waste chakra so easily.

Together, the clones took off their hitai-ate and tied them over their foreheads.

"Find me," their voices echoed. "_Where am I_?"

Then the clones charged for him, fists drawn back. Sakura was trying to intimidate him with the number of clones, confuse him with her illusions—after all, mirages couldn't hurt him.

He briefly remembered that this strategy was taught in the Academy. Summon a large number of clones to hide the user, and then repeatedly ambush the opponent with attacks. However, Sakura seemed to have forgotten that, though Sasuke couldn't identify a masked chakra signature as well as an experienced Chuunin, Jounin, or a Byakuugan user, his two-tomoe Sharingan and experience allowed him to see a few blurry and indistinct patterns.

Right now, he could tell that the real Sakura was hidden to his right, behind a few layers of clones. It wouldn't be hard avoid her this way.

And . . . yes. There she was. The original showed up before his eyes as an amorphous, blue-green pillar of chakra. She was running faster than the others, weaving through the sea of pink that would've gotten unnoticed if it wasn't for his ability to (barely) sense chakra with his eyes.

Sasuke jumped back, through waves and waves of Sakura-clones, hoping to stall some time for . . . for what, he didn't know.

She was getting closer now, just a few feet away. Sasuke flipped out a kunai, ready to defend himself, when—

He heard the barest of sound, the almost-silent swishing of cloth, and it was directly behind him.

He turned—

BAM! The blow over his back knocked the wind out of him. Black spots danced across his eyes and he felt a few stitches tearing out of his skin.

Warm and wet liquid trickled down his shoulder. He clutched his bleeding arm with a hard grimace. Damn it—

Then he realized that the girl might not be done yet. Sasuke spun on his heels to face his adversary. Just in time, too. He was caught her leg moments before she would crack his ribcage. Sakura flailed in the air for a few helpless minutes before flipping backwards, the force of it causing Sasuke to let go, and landing with an acrobat's grace upon the stone floor.

And it was only then he realized the senbon needle embedded in his shoulders. There was a quick prickling sensation, and it was flung behind.

But the damage was already done. Sasuke could already feel the alien liquid, like ice, traveling through his veins . . .

"There w-was poison in the needle," Sasuke coughed out, still recovering from his blow.

Poison, something even the Sharingan can't beat . . . Sasuke let the full weight of the situation sink in.

Poison.

Poison . . . His weakness was poison . . . And Sakura knew it. Sakura knew him well enough to find out that his weakness was poison, something he didn't even know himself.

He had utterly messed everything up now. Not only did he not fight Sakura when he had a chance, he drew back his punches and underestimated her. Invariably, she took advantage of that, and even knew him well enough to find his blind spot—his Achilles' heel.

There was nothing else he could do now. Sasuke never had any medical knowledge at all: at Sound, there was Kabuto, and there was Karin in Team Taka. He didn't know what type of poison it was, or how long it would act up, and _how_ it would act up (kill him, immobilize him, suffocate him, torture him). The use of poison left him entirely at his opponent's mercy.

His fate was drawn on that tiny little senbon needle.

That one huge loophole in his ultimate defense and prowess wasn't lung-seeping micro-bombs, mind-controlling genjutsus, or even the Rasengan. It was . . . poison.

Perhaps he was outsmarted, after all. She had taken a gambit, and won by position. Was he going to lose now that she had him exactly where she wanted?

Sakura panted heavily. Her clones were already gone; it took too much toll on her chakra supplies.

"You lured me into activating my Sharingan, kn-knowing that I will rely on it to seek the real you out," he said, wincing slightly. "But, unlike real chakra-detecting, I can only see what my eyes see."

It all made sense now. She wasn't careless. She hadn't forgotten about his Sharingan abilities. She'd planned every move ahead in a way that would've made Shikamaru proud—and Sasuke ashamed.

"Then you summoned a real clone. A shadow clone, so you let me think it was the real you, when really," he lifted his head up, "you snuck up where my eyes _can't_ see."

Behind.

How ironic. This almost reminded him of that time in his past life where Sakura came to him after he killed Danzo, and after . . . he almost killed her. Except she used a senbon, not a kunai, and he actually had no intention to kill her this time; quite the opposite, in fact. Otherwise, it was as if someone up there was having a good laugh at his misery.

Sakura made a noise that sounded like a harsh chuckle. "Sasuke—" pant "—the poison—the poison will circulate throughout your body in about ten minutes—" gasp, pant pant "—and then your muscles will freeze and you'll be as stiff as a block of ice—" pant pant "—and I can finally laugh at your misery for not—" gasp, pant "—not getting the stitches done sooner."

Sasuke's mind fumbled for a moment, not able to comprehend her words.

"_The poison will circulate throughout your body in about ten minutes."_

She was giving him . . . a chance?

"Why—?"

Her back straightened and she wiped away her bangs. Kunai held forward, she gave a determined sort of glare.

"I want you to fight me with your all." Her grip on the handle tightened. "I want you to acknowledge me as a ninja."

Sasuke stared at her for a moment, awestruck. Then he dipped his head and adjusted his hitai-ate.

Perhaps it wasn't he that was careless, perhaps it wasn't he that was moving backward in skill . . .

Perhaps Sakura was simply better.

Not for the first time, this new emotion blossomed in his chest, and it wasn't jealousy or anger.

It was respect. It was acknowledgment.

(And it might even be admiration.)

He tilted his chin up, with a kunai in hand. And smirked.

"You already have."

* * *

"Sasuke is the victor of this round," declared Hayate.

Sasuke released Sakura's elbow. The kunoichi immediately popped up to clobber him over the head—something, she said afterwards, she would always have energy for, no matter how tired.

"Ow!"

"Baka, Sasuke. You tore off part of my dress!" She held up the small, small rip on the rim. "You owe me one. Now I have to rip this." She rolled her eyes, and ripped off the thin brim, before . . . throwing it at Sasuke.

"Wha—"

"See what you did? Now all it can be used for is bandaging!"

Sasuke stared at the red fabric for a few seconds, before wrapping it around his shoulder.

The torn stitches hurt, but . . .

Did it make sense for him to say that it felt . . . nice?

"Sakura-chan! Teme!" Naruto waved vigorously as they reached him.

However, he wasn't alone. Not even with Kakashi.

"Sakura-san, Sasuke-san. That is a most amazing match. Your energy—" Lee raised his fist as a waterfall of tears cascaded down, "—every move, it was beautiful! I must defeat my opponent, too! I shall not be outdone by your wonderful displays of youthfulness!"

"What are they doing here?" Sakura whispered to Naruto, who shrugged helplessly.

"Well said, Lee!" _Ching!_ They were all blinded by the shine of Gai's teeth. "And if you don't, you will run twenty laps across the Hokage Monument as punishment!"

"Yes, of course! A most suitable punishment indeed, Gai-sensei!" Fire burned in the youth's eyes.

"Lee!" Gai cried.

"Gai-sensei!" his student responded with equal vigor.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

They stepped on top of a sea cliff facing a stunning orange dusk. Shadows stretched out behind in an epic sort of way as a giant wave crashed against the cliff face, creating a beautiful picture of manliness.

Neji and Tenten sighed.

Kakashi inconspicuously pushed his team away from Gai. It was probably too young for them to be influenced with this kind of stuff.

Naruto, getting over his temporary daze, faced his two best friends.

"Sakura-chan, that was awesome! You totally beat Sasuke there! And, teme," Naruto turned to his rival, "you suck."

The stone words _'Beaten by a GIRL'_ crashed onto Sasuke's shoulders in heavy block letters.

"I still won," Sasuke said stubbornly. He'd still won, even though he could have lost if Sakura hadn't told him about the time limit of the poison.

Speaking of which.

"Sakura, can you give me the antidote now?" he asked as politely as he could. He wouldn't trust Sakura's more . . . sadistic side to simply let the paralyzing substance freeze him up.

No. That would not be well indeed.

Sakura looked at him blankly, not comprehending. He raised one eyebrow, and pointed to his shoulder (which really was kind of getting numb. Really).

"Oh, the _antidote_." She gave a small grin that just seemed too . . . evil to be passed as innocent. Sakura reached into her pouch and lifted out a small glass vial, where a light yellow fluid swirled harmlessly within. "Drink it."

Sasuke did so warily, popping the cork open and letting the liquid drip past its tongue. He drank it, and shivered. That antidote was disgusting. It was bitter and sour with a weird sort of aftertaste to it that Sasuke couldn't quite put his finger on. Still, it was Sakura's poison, and she knew best.

"Oh, and by the way," Sakura said absentmindedly, "there was no poison."

Sasuke choked.

Naruto was confused. "There was no—_Oh_." He grinned. "You were bluffing the whole time?"

"T-t-t-then what is _this_?" Sasuke pointed to the empty vial.

"Dog urine." She smiled angelically. "I'd brought it for the Forest of Death—thought it would be a great venom-counteractive!"

* * *

Kakashi peered up from his novel and saw as Sasuke heaved his dinner out on the ground with Naruto and Sakura laughing at his misery in the background. Behind the Genin, Tenten and Neji were attempting to move discreetly away from their teammate and mentor. The whole group of ninjas watched with bewilderment as the Konoha's Two Green Beasts twirled and danced in glitter and sparkles.

He shrugged and went back to his book. Nothing new there.

* * *

There was exactly one round left in the preliminaries. With three remaining contestants.

Gaara was at the far corner with the other Sand-nins. Little specks of sand floated around the boy, giving him an air of great impatience.

Shino was standing quietly with Hinata, tall and indifferent.

But Lee . . . was acting differently. Instead of being in his usual, exuberant self, his arms were crossed.

"Humph!" he said, turning away from the LED screen. "I do not wish to be chosen anymore!"

"But why, Lee?" Gai waved his hands about, exasperated and—may Sasuke say—heartbroken. "I thought this was what you and I had strove for? Why give up now, Lee?"

Lee tilted his head up, huffing. "If I am not chosen in this round, I can automatically advance into the finals, facing stronger opponents! That's why I do not wish to be chosen right now!"

Over the mutters of "Lee! Oh, Lee, WHY?" the names appeared as such:

_Gaara vs Lee Rock_

"Sabaku no Gaara and Rock Lee, please come down for your match."

Hearing his name, Lee let out a loud whoop, further confusing Sasuke—hadn't the guy wanted to be unpicked for the preliminaries . . . just a few seconds ago?

"See, Gai-sensei? If I pretended that I didn't want to be picked, I will be picked!" He gave Gai a thumbs-up and a _pa-ching!_ smile while everyone else sweat-dropped.

"Ah, Lee, that is most ingenious indeed!" Tears fell like waterfall. "I knew you didn't give up—my prized student! Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

Sasuke, who had been observing Gaara's slow descend down the stair, let out a small breath of relief and, ignoring his guilty conscience, went over to Lee's side.

"Lee." Sasuke stopped the boy. "Forfeit."

Everyone looked at him, as if he had suddenly started raving something crazy and unintelligible.

"What do you mean, Sasuke-san?" Lee asked cheerfully, all pumped up for the fight that was to come.

"Teme, what are you talking about?" Naruto frowned.

Neji glared at Sasuke. "I don't think it's any of your business. This is his match, not for you to interfere." He crossed his arms obnoxiously. "Whether he wins or loses is fate's decision, not yours, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke wasn't expecting this. Didn't they know how dangerous Gaara was? Didn't they know what he would do to Lee? Didn't they know he had a monster sealed inside him?

Then it struck him, the chilling sensation of realization.

No, of course they didn't know. What was he thinking? They didn't know the One-Tail was sealed inside Gaara. They didn't know about Lee's fate. They didn't know how dangerous the boy from Sand was.

They barely knew Sasuke. Why would anyone listen to him?

"Sasuke . . . ?" Sakura tugged on his hand. "What are you doing?"

What happened to all his planning? What happened to convincing Gaara's opponent to forfeit? And, worse yet, this was _Lee_ facing Gaara.

The same opponent, the same results.

_Useless._

Sasuke blinked away his thoughts, and saw that Lee was already heading for the stairs.

Sasuke had to stop him. Hell, he didn't even _like_ that boy, but that didn't mean Lee deserved what was to come.

"No!" He stepped forward. "Gaara! He's—"

"I think that is enough, Sasuke."

Kakashi restrained his arms from the back. Sasuke shook his head violently and struggled even more.

"No. You don't understand. Gaara is—Sand is—"

"What does this have to do with Suna?" He could hear the alarm in Kakashi's voice.

"I—"

"Wait." Kakashi clamped his hand over Sasuke's mouth, much to Team 7 and Team Gai's confusion. Gai Maito himself watched Sasuke, though with a bit of contempt in his usually positive demeanor.

Then Kakashi bent down his head and whispered to his student's ear.

"If you know something about Sunagakure that is important, _shake your head_."

Slowly and deliberately, Sasuke shook his head.

Kakashi let go. Sasuke faced his teacher, and saw the Jounin in deep thought, contemplating his options. The man's Sharingan wasn't visible, but with the intensity of his stare, it might as well be.

"It's about Orochimaru."

That decided it. With a _poof!_, Sasuke disappeared from the arena along with Kakashi.

* * *

They appeared in the Hokage's office. At first, Sasuke wondered why Kakashi chose it to be here, of all places, but his question was answered when a door opened. In stepped Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village.

The frail-looking old man sank beneath his chair with a sigh. Then he opened his eyes, and, with fingers laced in front, peeked up at Sasuke beneath the Kage hat.

"I saw your signal, Kakashi." The man got out his pipes. "What is it?"

Sasuke didn't have patience for the Sandaime or his smoking habits, and spoke at once.

"Old man. Did you stop the match?"

"Sasuke!" Kakashi reprimanded for his rudeness.

"Did you?"

Sarutobi looked at Sasuke with weary eyes, before puffing out a ring of smoke. "No, I'm afraid not."

"No?" Sasuke was incredulous. "No? Do you know what Gaara is capable of? He is—"

"—the One-Tail's host. I am well aware of that."

"Then what are you doing?" Sasuke's eyes bled red. "Rock Lee will be killed! At the very least, crippled for life. He'll never be nin again! And you're just standing back here . . . and watch?"

Sarutobi dipped his head, an image of regret and defeat.

"Sasuke!"

"We can't," Sarutobi sighed.

"You—"

"No. Sasuke, listen to me," the Hokage said. "It's not that we don't want to. We can't. A shinobi alliance is a fragile thing. Stop the match, and Suna can go so far as saying Konoha is secretly helping their ninjas into the Chuunin Exams." He exhaled a cloud of smoke. "At any rate, I am sure your friend Lee will be alright."

"I—" he started again, but faltered. He saw it in Kakashi's eyes, knew it in his Kage's words. Nothing he said was going to change his mind.

'_A ninja must learn to stand, and fall, on his own. Otherwise, learning is meaningless.'_

He never liked Lee much. But no one, no one at all, deserved the injuries inflicted on the boy.

His hands curled into fists. _I'm sorry, Lee._

_Useless_, his mind whispered.

Like Zabuza and Haku's deaths, like Orochimaru's entrance in the Forest of Death, like his inability to protect his friends from the Sound Four.

He couldn't save Lee. And if he couldn't save Lee, how could he save Naruto and Sakura from the other, greater threats to come?

What was the point of his existence at all?

_Useless._

"I suppose you want to know how I knew about this Orochimaru shit," Sasuke said tonelessly. He didn't wait for a confirmation. "We met him in the Forest of Death."

Kakashi's only reaction was a shift in his weight. Sasuke pretended to not notice.

"Orochimaru?" the Third asked.

"We—Naruto got separated from Sakura and me. And Orochimaru used our division to masquerade as Naruto. I saw through it. Orochimaru appeared in his real form."

"What did the man look like?" The Sandaime's tone was sharp.

"Pale-skinned. Dark-haired. Slit for eyes, almost like a snake. Yellow eyes, with purple markings around it." Sasuke paused, gauging Sarutobi's reaction. However, the man was all but silent, and Sasuke continued, "He had no interest in our scroll and immediately proceeded onto killing us. I . . . was able to stall for a few minutes before Anko came." He skimped over the part where he used the Chidori. "Sakura carried me and Naruto out, and we escaped that way. However, while Orochimaru was trying to kill Sakura and me, he said a few things."

"What things?"

Sasuke glanced at the Third, his bitterness toward the man not quite fading yet.

He would have to stretch the truth a little here. "He said . . . he was talking about a host, and that he, and I quote, 'already had Sai,' so he didn't need my Sharingan." Kakashi stiffened at these words. Sasuke ignored him again. "He gave hints about Kabuto being a traitor, as his spy. Also, he told us that he plans of uniting Sand and Sound to invade Konoha. He said he would kill the Hokage."

An uncomfortable silence settled in the room, like a thick fog.

"That seems like a lot of information he gave to you freely."

Sasuke met Sarutobi's eyes without flinching (a surprisingly hard thing to do). "He was about to kill us. Villains seem to have a tendency to brag a lot, don't they?" A bead of sweat slid down his neck, unnoticed by the others. "I trust that you find this information useful enough to investigate into it."

_If you don't believe me, prove me wrong._

The Third Hokage's eyes were searching, looking for any signs of deceit or betrayal. Sasuke was once again reminded that he was The Boy From Cloud, an outsider. Not part of the village. Not an Uchiha. Just a small boy who took on the Third's generous offer to stay in the Hidden Leaf.

As if sensing his thoughts, the Sandaime's eyes softened. "Why didn't you tell your sensei as soon as you left the Forest?"

_No one would've believed me._

"I didn't know how dangerous Orochimaru was. I didn't recognize him either. But I read about him from . . . somewhere. It was only when Gaara and Lee's match was called that I remembered."

Seeing their questioning expressions, Sasuke explained, more to Kakashi than the Third. "I have amnesia from the mission to the Land of Waves, when Zabuza's blade gotten my head. It was only the handle, but I begin to have sudden, unexpected temporary memory losses."

"Sudden, unexpected temporary memory losses?" asked the Third.

Sasuke nodded and hid his face away from Kakashi's probing gaze. "Once during the Waves mission, and another . . . just then."

The Third Hokage gave tilt of his head.

"Alright. Sasuke, you are dismissed. Get a checkup in the infirmary, to prevent that injury from getting your way in missions. And, Kakashi, stay here. I need to call for a Jounin meeting right after the preliminaries are done."

Sasuke bowed, and exited the room.

* * *

Not too far away, a boy named Lee Rock fell to the ground, his body bloody and unmoving.

". . . And the winner of this match is Suna no G-Gaara."

* * *

**A/N:** I'm really sorry for those who expected my review replies. I tried, but—there really is no excuse for this, but apparently my teachers decided to put in some hundred-point assignment right before the freakin' end of the school year. HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO A FIVE-MINUTE PRESENTATION ON GEOMETRIC FIGURES?

Busy schoolwork, tight internet schedule, LiveJournal SasuSaku Month and, well. I didn't want to give my reviewers half-hearted replies. Thanks to all of you who reviewed. Seriously, although writing fanfiction is for the fun's sake, I, like as all authors, love to hear what your opinion of the story. And I'll try to reply. Really. A lot of you have been giving me awesome reviews that I never get the chance of replying, and I feel totally guilty.

(And—Holy grilled cheese sandwich! DID YOU READ THE LAST FEW MANGA CHAPTERS? Yes, people. It really is *that awesome*. Sakura pwns. I mean, "Piglets don't have hands"? Win! 8D Not to mention the SasuSaku Sakura confirmation! We SasuSaku shippers shall prevail the tides! BELIEVE IT!)


	14. Tales of Konohagakure: Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with Naruto, and I do not profit from writing Fanfiction.**

* * *

14. Tales of Konohagakure: Aftermath

_At night, the attacking squads, which had fought enemies literally outside the village doors, transferred their positions to the next Shinobi Forces nins. It was at that time, when Sasuke had defeated more than a dozen of the Impure Resurrected undeads, that he limped his way back into Konoha._

Untrusting gazes traveled with him the entire way, even more than the ones he'd carried on the battlefield for his lack of a 忍 headband, though Sasuke did not look back.

There was no need to. These Leaf scums were unworthy of his attention.

"_Traitor . . . murderer . . . Rokudaime's best friend . . . let off lightly . . . Sworn vengeance on Konoha . . ."_

Finally reaching the tent, the Uchiha settled back into the canvas sleeping bag, eyes blinking back into the normal color. Sasuke tried to reach for a flask of water a foot away, and was instantly met with extreme pain. He winced. There was a cut across his abdomen, courtesy of one of the reanimated Akatsuki member—Sasori, he thought the puppet master was called. There had been no poison in the sword, but Sasori had gotten away before Sasuke had the pleasure of finishing him up.

The wound was bleeding heavily now. Sasuke, however, made no move to stop the bleeding and, if he was honest to himself, it was more because of his lack of knowledge on wounds than anything. His more serious wounds had never been left open long enough without a medic healing. But it didn't matter. Pain . . . was just an illusion.

The canvas door flapped open. Sasuke, not anticipating a fight, fumbled with his sword before slashing it at the approaching figure.

The shinobi blocked it with ease.

Moonlight leaked through the open tent entrance, shining on the pale face of Sakura Haruno. Her eyes, burning with feverish fatigue, bore into his.

"What the hell are you doing, Uchiha?" she asked quietly. Her hand, used to block his sword, shone with eerie green chakra.

Sasuke relaxed, if slightly. "Why are you here?"

Sensing the blow on her arm slackening, Sakura slinked away from the blade and back two steps, as if being near him disgusted her.

"Hokage-sama informed me that you are injured. I am sent here, as a _medic_," she emphasized on the word, "to heal you."

"Why would you care?"

She smiled grimly. "I don't think my personal desire matters. As I said, I am here on orders."

"And how do I know what you speak of are not lies used to relax my guard, and kill me?"

Without waiting for an answer, he flash-stepped forward, reaching for her neck—

Cold metal pressed onto his back.

"You underestimated me, Uchiha."

A Shadow Clone . . .

"How unoriginal," he said aloud. "Did you learn this trick from your boyfriend?"

"The neck," Sakura continued as if he never spoke, "is one of the most delicate pieces of skin in the human anatomy, along with the forehead, the eyelid, the stomach, and the underside of your arms. I can think of twenty-seven ways to kill you right now with a _toothpick_. Ten of which suffocates, twelve shut down your various organs, and seven that leave you in such intense pain you'd be _begging_ to die. Don't test me."

He smirked, Sharingan spinning. "You wouldn't."

"And what makes you think that? Do you think I will show mercy for a man who intends to destroy my village?"

"You won't kill me because I'm useful."

"You can't be sure of that."

"I can. Or else you wouldn't have searched for me."

There was a pause.

The pressure against his skin lessened. "Uchiha. You're lucky my Hokage is the head of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Kumogakure is still hollering for your head."

A quick swipe of green indicated that his wound was healed. The Shadow Clone before him disappeared.

Cold gust swirled in the tent door, leaving Sasuke with a strange sense of chill. And Sakura Haruno left, as if never appeared at all.

* * *

**~.*.~**

* * *

They weren't able to fix his amnesia.

To be honest, the only reason Sasuke had bothered to come to the hospital in the first place was because of the Hokage's orders. He already looked suspicious for knowing so much, and Sasuke didn't want to be thrown in jail for possible treason. So, for once in his life, he was the perfect obedient child, and arrived at the hospital for a checkup.

A nurse ran him through a couple of tests, which became more and more apparently pointless as the hours dragged on. He'd slept in the hospital for a day, before the nurse told him a bunch of medical terms he didn't understand (the nurse was a bit young, most likely a trainee, and very unprofessional, considering her shameless staring the moment he arrived).

". . . so from the point of impact _here_, which unfortunately connects to—"

"Can you fix it?"

". . . No."

To say he didn't expect this would be a lie. Sasuke didn't really think that medics could override the Voice's plan, the man who claimed to be a god (who still stubbornly remained away without notice every since the Forest of Death). Still, he was disappointed to say the least, and angry at worst, but the amnesia would have to stay.

Sasuke still hadn't decided on how to tell his teammates. But he was contented to stall for as long as he could. And he left the examination room (with a slight headache; he never liked it when the nurses stared at him like that).

They'd drawn lots for the order during the time he was gone. Sasuke never saw Kakashi arrive at his room, but there had been a schedule for the finals resting on his bedside drawer when he woke up that morning. Naruto had drawn first, Tenten second, and then Neji, Gaara, Hinata, Shino, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Temari ending in number nine. Sasuke assumed that Shino had advanced into the finals automatically since there was no one else left to be matched up.

So . . . According to the schedule, his opponent was Shikamaru, the lazy genius. Sasuke knew he didn't have to be worried. Even though Shikamaru was smarter than most of the other Genin of his age, Sasuke had enough experience to outsmart the guy on a real battlefield. His arsenal of ninjutsu was unbeatable. The best Shikamaru could hope for was putting up a good show . . . which was what the finals was all about anyway.

As he turned about another corridor, throwing away the bandages over his head in irritation, a voice, barely over a whisper, traveled to his ears.

". . . the poor kid . . . horrible injury . . . no mercy . . ."

Sasuke stopped.

". . . heard that that Gaara was from Suna." The woman tutted twice. "Never did like the looks of them . . ."

". . . unfixable . . . all of his bones, crushed . . . I can only imagine how painful it is for him . . ."

". . . did you hear? That kid can never be a ninja ever again . . . Can you imagine that? Working all your life only to have it for forfeit—"

"Shh . . . quiet. You might wake Lee-kun . . ."

"Oh, yes. Sorry . . ."

_Lee-kun . . ._

Lee . . . never to be nin again. And it was he fault. All his fault . . . He wasn't able to stop Gaara, even with his knowledge of what was to happen. Sasuke was shortsighted. He wasn't able to convince Lee of forfeit.

_Useless._

And the most horrible thing was, judging by the rapid spikes in his chakra, Lee had heard the entire conversation.

* * *

Hinata wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not.

She was at Ichiraku's with Naruto (_Naruto!_) on a _date_. She knew she should be a bit more composed with her happiness, but she was tempted more than once to pinch herself, just to be sure everything was real.

Naruto (_Naruto!_) was talking about the final rounds animatedly. Gosh, she really liked his voice. Thinking of it made her blush, and she hoped that the steam from her ramen was enough to cover the color of her cheeks.

"I'm up against Tenten, from Bushy-Brow's team." He paused for a moment, staring into his bowl of miso ramen. Hinata knew he was thinking of the horrible, horrible way Lee had come out after the preliminaries.

In truth, she was actually quite afraid of the boy Gaara. Everyone was, especially after they'd witnessed Lee's fate.

After the brief moment of seriousness, Naruto smiled and continued, "Hey, Hina-chan. I forgot. Who are you up against?"

_Hina-chan . . ._ She wanted to swoon over her nickname. Instead, Hinata answered (with quite a bit of willpower), "Sh-Shino-kun."

"Isn't he in your team?" Oh, those blue eyes. They were so pretty, so bright, like the stars. Naruto beamed, so radiant, like the sun. She knew she was flushing even redder now, but couldn't really focus on much except for the fact that Naruto (_Naruto!_) was smiling for _her_.

"Y-yes." She was feeling more than a bit light-headed now. Hopefully it was from the steam at the ramen bar.

Naruto suddenly realized something. "Oh no! Shoot, I've been talking for way too long." He scratched his head. "Sorry, Hina-chan. I stalled you from your delicious ramen. Here," he said, grabbing a pair of bamboo chopsticks, "enjoy! Old man Teuchi makes the best ramen in the _world_."

Their fingers touched, and Hinata saw stars. It was too much for her. Her vision was obscured with a blank darkness as she swayed sideways—and dropped her head into the ramen bowl.

Vaguely, she heard Naruto's frantic shouts of, "Hina-chan! What happened? What did I do wrong again? Oh shoot oh shoot oh shoot—"

"Arigato . . . Naruto-kun," Hinata found herself thanking him blearily.

Then she fainted.

* * *

_Kling-ling!_

"Welcome to Yamanaka's—Hey, Billboard-Brow!"

Sakura forced herself into a wide, fake smile. "Nice to see you too, Pig."

Ino Yamanaka stood, as fine as ever, behind the florist counter. There were no traces of her recent episode of the preliminary rounds or any other abnormalities. She looked . . . normal.

Sakura bit her lower lip, concerned, but didn't comment. Instead, she tried for a scathing remark for her childhood rival.

"Pig, I'm surprised that they let you out of the hospital so early—what did the vet say?"

Ino gave a thousand-watt glare, but smiled nevertheless. "Just for me to be careful not to get distracted by any shiny objects. Your forehead, for instance."

"Ino-pig." Electricity sparked between their eyes.

"Forehead Girl." Add watt.

"Ino-pig."

"Forehead Girl."

They stood there this way for quite a while, and then Ino extended her arm.

"A truce, Forehead?"

Sakura's smile was bright. She extended her arm as well.

"Truce, dear Pig."

There was nothing affectionate with their shake of hand, which was more like a military agreement than anything. But Sakura felt something inside her mend whole again, something that had been lonely and broken ever since their big fight over Sai.

"You should be grateful that I offered peace; you never would've won against _me_."

And, perhaps their rivalry wasn't over yet—

"You wish!"

—but it was the beginning of another beautiful friendship.

"Pig!"

Or something.

"Forehead!"

* * *

"Is that a daffodil?" Sakura asked.

Ino nodded. "Yeah. It means 'rebirth.' Daffodils are one of the first flowers to blown at springtime . . ."

Sakura held up the flower delicately. "I think I'll buy one."

"What for?"

Sakura smiled. "For Lee."

Ino stared at her strangely for a moment, before walking out the counter.

"Here," she said, handing Sakura another daffodil. "Give this one to Lee too, and tell him it's from me. Even though I didn't see his match," she shrugged, "only heard of it."

"Oh . . ." Sakura looked confused for a moment, before smiling it away. "I'm sure Lee will like this. Thanks."

Sakura turned to leave the flower shop, but Ino stopped her. "Wait—Sakura."

"Hm, Pig?"

Ino looked away. "Did . . . did Sai come from his mission yet?"

Sakura's first impulse was to give a victorious laugh, the natural response to have one-upped your rival. But then she realized how . . . worried Ino looked. How scared she was in that small lapse of her usual snotty façade.

That was, perhaps, the moment she saw something unfathomable in Ino's expression. An unconditional caring unlike anything else.

So she chose to shake her head. "No. Sorry, Ino. But I'll tell you if I see him, alright?"

Ino looked like she was near a splitting grin, but then stopped and composed herself.

"What, Forehead Girl. You think _you_ will see him before I do?" She laughed. "Dream on!"

Sakura's lips twitched. "Ino-pig."

"Forehead."

* * *

"Tell her I'm—"

The door was shut in Naruto's face.

"—sorry."

Naruto stared at the slammed door for a few moments, eyes particularly trailing over the words of日向, Hyuuga. Something stirred inside his abdomen, squeezing his heart painfully, coaxing the flame of hatred to grow. Resentment.

Then he blinked. No, he shouldn't start thinking this way. Door-slamming was nothing compared to the abuse he had endured during his youth; it was hardly anything to feel resented about. He was getting spoiled from the companionship Team 7 had given him after leaving the Academy.

The Kyuubi . . . was what the villagers feared. Naruto smiled, a bit sadly. Once he became Hokage, he could win the villagers' recognition.

They wouldn't see him as a monster, but a hero.

Hinata . . . He stared after the closed door. Hinata was one of the few people who accepted him without reason, without seeing him as the monster than almost destroyed the Hidden Leaf all those years ago, without judging him. Iruka was one, old geezer the Third was another. Not to mention Teuchi and Ayame from Ichiraku's. And Sasuke, of course.

But now . . . he'd messed up so bad on their first date. He wanted Hinata to be happy with his company, and then she fainted. He must've done something wrong.

Would Hinata hate him after this?

Resentment turned into something dangerously close to self-pity, and Naruto batted the thought away. He would make up for it later and apologize. Then . . . Naruto gulped at the thought. Then . . . she could choose to shun him forever, now that she'd saw how he really was.

The idiot. The dead-last. The good-for-nothing class clown.

So Naruto lifted his knuckles from the fence-door, stuffed his hands inside his pockets, and walked away.

* * *

_Konoha Central Hospital_

Sakura had entered the hospital a few times, though never really stayed for long. Her life had been mostly devoid of heavy injuries and suffering, and she was quite glad for that.

The same could hardly be said for Lee. Sakura closed her eyes . . .

"_Aaah__—AAAH!"_

_The scream was one of extreme agony. Sakura watched in horror as Gaara's sand twisted themselves around Lee's legs and . . . bones were crushed with a loud CRUNCH. Sakura couldn't take it anymore . . ._

"Lee-san . . ." She clutched the fragile daffodil against her chest.

Sasuke was right. He was right about that Gaara. He was _always_ right. She should've long since learned to trust him in this kind of things. But she didn't . . . why?

Sakura gave a small sigh. She couldn't dwell on that now. Lee would surely notice her sadness, and she didn't want to make his feelings, as terrible as it may be, worse.

Spiky black crossed her vision.

Sakura blinked away her thoughts.

Strange . . . that chicken-butt shape, it was just like—

"Sasuke!"

Why was he in the hospital? Surely he wasn't hurt from the preliminary? Then—

Sasuke paused in his steps, a few yards out of the hospital's outer wall. She swore his eyes had widened, and then he ran away from her, just like that.

"Wait!" Sakura attempted to run after him. "Sasuke, wait! What happened yesterday . . ."

Sasuke was nowhere in sight.

". . . with Kakashi . . . ?" she trailed off, craning her neck over an old couple. She whipped her head around a few times before realizing that it was futile, that if Sasuke didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found.

Why did he run away from her like that?

"Sasuke . . ." Then she frowned and walked back to the hospital with a huff. "Fine, be that way. Avoid me, like the scaredy-cat you are." Her pace slowed as she reached the wide double doors. "Boys are idiots . . ." she muttered darkly.

* * *

Naruto decided to let his feet do the walking, and ended up dropping into a river.

The water was hot. Very hot.

He jumped out of the river immediately. Spluttering, he thought angrily: _Never let the feet do the walking again_.

After panting on the riverbank for several seconds, Naruto shook his head violently to get rid of the water in his hair. Gasping and wheezing from his near-drowning, he finally lifted up his head, as to see where he'd arrived at.

A round building stood on one side of the river, steam from behind the building drifting over the river's banks. There were no doors, but a wooden separator was placed behind where the doors should be. A blue cotton flap hung over the entrance, printed with the kanji 男.

A bathhouse.

Or, to be more exact, a small stream near a bathhouse, the one with scalding-hot water he'd fallen in. Naruto was briefly reminded of a time he'd accidentally run into the very same bathhouse with a paint bucket during the Ninja Academy years (hey! A towel covered his eyes!), and grinned. Good times.

Naruto turned his gaze back at the stream, remembering a different, more recent memory: the Land of Waves, where he and Sasuke competed against each other to see who could water-stand the longest. An idea came to him, and he looked back at the stream.

Might as well train since he was already here.

* * *

Sasuke watched Sakura's retreating back.

When he was sure she'd left, he walked away from the wall.

He knew well what had caused him to flee from her sight. It was cowardice, and perhaps, shame.

He could not look at her after his failure. The very moment their eyes met, the pictures he'd seen when he fought her in the preliminaries—of her lying bloody and broken and _dead_—reminded him of the what-if, what-if, what-if.

What if it had been Naruto or Sakura, rather than Lee, against that Sand monster?

_Useless._

* * *

He found Kakashi at the Memorial Stone. Strangely, Kakashi always seemed to be there, mourning over someone lost and far away.

"_Those who abandon their teammates are worse than scum."_

_Worse than scum . . ._

"How are you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't even flinch. Kakashi was never surprised.

"They couldn't fix it," he said simply, allowing none of his anger to seep into his voice. It was unjustified, in any case. How he'd gotten his amnesia was purely his mistake, and his mistake only. Though, looking back to it, Sasuke would never choose his memories over Sakura. Amnesia was a small price to pay for her life.

But that still didn't stop him from feeling bitter.

"The memory losses, huh?" For a second, Sasuke thought Kakashi wouldn't believe him. But then the man continued, "When are you going to tell Naruto and Sakura?"

Sasuke's gaze strayed to the side. "I . . . don't know."

"How did it happen, the last few times?"

"Pain," Sasuke answered plainly. "It either causes or is triggered by pain."

"And you understand . . . that your indecision might cost their lives during a mission?"

It was similar to the sensation of being punched in the gut. Sasuke lifted his eyes away from the ground to glare at Kakakshi, but even his glare faltered as he realized that Kakashi was right.

He couldn't risk it.

After all, this was already his second chance.

"Don't you trust them, Sasuke?"

The "Yes" came faster than Sasuke could register what he said. He almost felt insulted when Kakashi asked him that, if not for the expected follow-up sentence:

"If you trust them, tell them."

"I will, but like you said, my weakness might cause lives. I need to make sure the time is right, and no one else takes advantage of the fact."

_Excuses, excuses, excuses._

"You want me to tell you about . . . what the Third found, I should think," Kakashi said after a while, his back still to him. He didn't allow Sasuke to speak; they knew each other too well. "Yakushi Kabuto was found missing from his apartment yesterday night; he is now classified as an S-rank missing ninja. Bodies of three Sound ninjas were found outside the Forest of Death this morning, and they were further identified as Team Dosu. Team Baki of Sand denied all accusations of deceit on their part, and we did not press charges. The Kazekage declined his invitation to watch the finals, claiming that our actions against them have been unfounded and unjust, and he had declined in protest. All in all . . . our little swatting around the grass had alerted the snake. They fled without a second thought."

"And Sai?" Sasuke's expression was carefully composed.

Kakashi paused for a moment. The sun was still shining, though it felt as if thunderclouds had gathered overhead.

And then the Jounin turned to him with a smile. "Why do you ask, Sasuke? He should still be at his mission."

There was warning in Kakashi's voice: Sasuke had already asked too much. Don't push him any further.

The boy opened his mouth to protest—Sai was his teammate, wasn't he? He was allowed to know about what happened.

But . . . was he at a position to ask such questions?

It was amazing enough that he was not sent to the Torture and Interrogation Department at once after his confession. This wasn't the time to push his luck further.

Sasuke pondered this for a brief second. Everything seemed under control. Sound and Sand made definite retreats, and Sai . . .

Well, if anything really came up, it was highly improbable that Kakashi would hide it from his students, _especially_ if they were teammates with Sai. The Kakashi he knew always taught him to value teammates beyond anything else.

Had it really been that easy, to stop the invasion of Konoha? Only one way to check for sure.

_Voice? Did I stop the invasion? _he called in his mind.

No voice came.

Damn it. Where was that psychotic Voice when he needed it?

_Voice! Answer me! What is happening with the invasion?_

No answer. Sasuke briefly wondered if he was going insane, calling out for a voice in his head.

But . . . where did it go? Come to think of it, Sasuke hadn't heard from it ever since the preliminary rounds when it told him about Team Dosu. But then, how—

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.

"Nothing." He paused. "Train me, Kakashi," Sasuke blurted out before he could stop himself. Inwardly, he winced. It wasn't supposed to come out as a command.

Kakashi faced him with an eye-crinkling smile, his previous dark mood forgotten. "Oh, sure."

A beat.

"Really?"

"Why not?" Kakashi cracked open his orange book. "How can I deny my students of anything?"

"You—"

"You are my Genin team, the future pride of Konoha! Our next generation!"

"What—"

"But, of course, there is a set of rules that apply to this apprenticeship. Only one, actually."

Rules? _Apprenticeship?_

"I _think_—"

Kakashi smiled. _Evilly_.

"You have to do whatever I say, whenever I say it."

And then the Jounin sensei chuckled.

_Evilly_.

"But—" Sasuke was about to protest.

Kakashi shrugged. "If you don't want to, well, too bad. Maybe I can train _Naruto_ on my super awesome technique. You know, the Chi-do-ri?"

Sasuke's mind went to a complete blank.

The Chidori . . .

To the _dead-last?_

And in his mind, he imagined . . .

"_Ahahaha, teme, see this and _weep_! Chidori!" Boom! "Chidori!" Boom! "CHIDORI!"_

_BOOM!_

"_I'm stronger than you! DATTEBAYO!"_

"NO!"

"And right now," Kakashi put a finger to his lips, or where his lips should be behind the mask, as if he never heard Sasuke at all, "I want you to run an errand."

"An errand?"

Kakashi grinned. "I want you to scout every bathhouse in Konoha. Especially the woman's ones. And after that, report everything you see back to me." He let out a laugh that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. "And I mean _everything_ you see."

Sasuke was beyond mortification.

* * *

**A/N:** I wish someone would write the entire series of Naruto into a book. :D Wouldn't that be awesome?


	15. The Temptations of Power

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N:** Don't worry, people. I didn't forget our Honorable Grandson in the story. Konohamaru didn't get a debut in SNU because Team 7 was training. He didn't get killed by Kankuro or anything; they simply didn't have the chance to meet back in chapter seven since Naruto wasn't there.

* * *

15. The Temptations of Power

Night is the time of mystery and sleepy tranquility. Night is the time of stealth and silence and thieves and ninjas. Night is the time when a shinobi strikes as an enemy sleeps and drops his guard, when his weapons lay forgotten in the stillness of the dark.

Night is also the time when perverts like Kakashi can read their porn without rude students interrupting.

And so Kakashi did, reading that _Icha Icha_ novel, the cover still crisp and clean and never torn. He was at his favorite part of the book and the grown man of twenty-six couldn't help but giggle with delight.

(God, the sexual tension was _killing_ him.)

"Enjoying the book?"

Kakashi's eyes widened for the barest of seconds before snapping the book shut. He lifted himself off the metal fence.

"Jiraiya-sama." He dipped his head. "Welcome back to Konoha."

The tall, white-haired man grinned cheekily, his nin-sandals scraping the concrete rooftop with a quiet _shahshah_ sound.

"I would say _Paradise_ is my best book," the man named Jiraiya continued thoughtfully. "Still, the next one might be the greatest one yet."

At that he laughed, loud and brisk.

"How's Naruto's training going on?" Kakashi asked.

"Fine. How did you know I'm training him?"

Kakashi explained how he had sent Sasuke over the village to look for Jiraiya.

". . . and he came back to me from the bathhouses dripping wet and bruised all over. It was very good training, in my opinion."

Jiraiya laughed again, and stroked his chin. "Sounds like a good kid, this Sasuke. Naruto's always talking about beating him. They seem to be good friends. Rivals."

"Yes . . ." There was a small, uncertain pause on Kakashi's part. "But . . . he knows too much."

"Perceptive kid, huh?

Kakashi gave a helpless shrug. "He was the one who told Hokage-sama and me about . . . the possible upcoming invasion, and other information even Anko Mitarashi didn't get from her . . . encounter with the man."

"So Sasuke's a spy, you think?" Jiraiya asked lightly.

"No . . ." Kakashi hesitated again. "I think Sasuke is the least likely person to ever betray Konoha."

There was a sad gleam in Jiraiya's eyes. The man shifted his weight against the metal rails then said, "I'm not saying that this kid is suspicious, but sometimes—sometimes people can surprise you," and Kakashi knew he was talking about Orochimaru.

A pause passed, and Jiraiya began again, "From what I've heard, Orochimaru set his sights on his next victim already."

The Jounin nodded. "Uchiha Sai, survivor of the Uchiha Massacre. He was found with the Cursed Seal of Heaven, the same one Anko Mitarashi possesses, which he admitted was given by Orochimaru after his own Chuunin Exams. Sasuke told me and Hokage-sama enough for us to suspect that Orochimaru . . . is taking hosts."

"'Hosts'," Jiraiya echoed. "I see . . . the secret to his immortality—hosts. Like a snake shedding its skin. Rebirth through others' body. Orochimaru is trying to possess Sai . . ." He frowned. "This Uchiha . . . the survivor of the Massacre. Revenge. Of course. That's what the snake's trying to do. He's luring the boy with the temptations of power . . . Still, that doesn't mean Sasuke's words are one hundred percent valuable."

Kakashi's face was sober. "I'm sure you know about the boy discovered with the Sharingan in the Land of Earth."

"The third Uchiha? So he is—?"

"Yes. Sasuke is the boy, and I'm afraid that Orochimaru has shown interest in him also. Orochimaru wants a pair of Sharingan eyes and right now there are exactly three people alive of this heritage. There is, of course you know, Uchiha Itachi, the S-ranked missing-nin, perpetrator of the Massacre; Uchiha Sai, his younger brother, only survivor of the Massacre; and now there's Sasuke, a possible illegitimate child given away to the forest. I suspect that whoever left him there tried to kill him, as it was with clan rules, but he lived. From what I've heard, he was brought up by a hermit and learned ninjutsu until the woman died. Sasuke knows about Orochimaru's interest in him too—he was always the kind that knows too much for his own good, that brat—and that is why I think he wasn't lying; there is no reason for him to. Even if he was from Kumo, he was never brought up there."

Jiraiya leaned against the metal fence, staring across the Konoha skyline.

"So now Orochimaru, the Shukaku, the Kyuubi, and the two possible Uchihas are all brought together into this whole mess. During the Chuunin Exams, the Leaf's weakest security times." Jiraiya sighed. "Oh, why does it seem like something bad is going to happen?"

* * *

**~.*.~**

* * *

Sasuke was _not_ pleased with how his day was going.

It wasn't even because he was basically a seventeen year-old trapped in a twelve year-old's body with a sadistic Voice in his head (where was it, anyway? It must've been several weeks already . . .), thrown back into time where he found his Uchiha name stripped, past "taken away", and that belly-button-showing Sai _as his replacement_. As pathetic as that sounded.

No. It had more to do with the fact that he was currently standing in the middle of the street, whacked by an old lady's cane.

She screeched, ". . . YOU YOUNGSTER—" _whack! _"—THESE—" _whack!_ "—DAYS!" _whack!_ "_DISGRACEFUL_, I'M TELLING YOU," _whack!_ "_DISGRACEFUL_!" _whack!_ "CARRYING THAT _LIVING BLASPHEMY_—" _whack!_ "—AROUND _KONOHA_ LIKE SOME KIND OF—" _whack!_ "—_TROPHY_ WITH ABSOLUTELY _NO CONCERN_—" _whack!_ "—FOR THE EYES OF THE _GENERAL_—" _whack!_ "—_PUBLIC_!" _whack!_ "IF MY _GRANDMOTHER_ HAD KNOWN ABOUT THIS! . . ."

Sasuke had, following Kakashi's orders, arrived at the bookstores to buy him a whole collection of the _Icha Icha_ series. He had used a Henge to make him look like a more or less non-descript man of the mid-fifties to buy the series from the fat storekeeper, a necessary thing, as they did not allow minors to buy such . . . adult-rated books. Once Sasuke left the bookstore, he ran to the nearest alleyway.

But what happened next was perhaps the biggest flaw in his strategy: he released his transformation. After he made sure no one was around, Sasuke released his Henge and turned his head up, preparing to roof-hop back to Kakashi—

—and bumped straight into an old lady.

The grandma had been taking out her trash to the alley, and her eyes immediately caught on to the _Icha Icha_ series that were strewn across the ground.

At this, the usual old-and-wise and amiable neighbor Takiyo Shoto became . . . a murderer.

"_DISGRACEFUL BOY!_"

* * *

Sasuke walked back to his apartment, rubbing his sore arm. God . . . that old lady whacked harder than Sakura when she was angry. And that was saying _a lot_.

Kakashi . . . Damn it, if it wasn't for him being his sensei, one day of these days, Sasuke would go back to being the "avenger" he was and hunt down that old pervert.

Sasuke guessed the woman had hit him at least two hundred times before she allowed him to speak. It was only after twenty more whacks that she believed his story about running an errand for his teacher—the _real_ pervert, not him. And for what? In the end, the old grandma merely scoffed and told him that since he was a shinobi, "a little pain won't hurt you! And arrogant youngsters like you need a good beating anyway."

He bet Kakashi got a real kick out of it when he heard about the scary lady with a cane.

(Bastard.)

A nice afternoon of doing absolutely nothing sounded positively appealing.

Suddenly, Sasuke's periphery caught onto a shadow of black, red, and white darting away. He turned, his eyes catching onto the red and white fan.

It was Sai.

Sasuke rarely saw Sai outside of missions and training. Seeing the Chuunin there wasn't anything special. Sai could be off grocery shopping.

But in full gear, with a sword strapped on his back?

Suspicious, Sasuke slipped through the early-noon shopping crowd and saw Sai again. Sai was pretending to observe a nearby poster for a new movie going on in the local theater while shooting casual looks left and right. Sasuke shrunk behind a seafood counter. In a few seconds, Sai walked across the sidewalk and disappeared behind another shop.

Sasuke breathed out a sigh—he'd thought Sai saw him for a moment there—and left his hiding place and followed Sai around the corner.

Only to bump straight into Sakura.

"Ow, Sasuke. Hey, what are you—Mmph!"

Sasuke had dragged Sakura into an alley. Her empty plastic bag rolled away in the wind.

She turned to him, furious. "What do you th—"

He clamped his fingers over her mouth. "Quiet!"

He hastened a look to the street. With his back to the wall, Sasuke peeked around the same seafood shop he had hidden in. Sai was looking around, though with more abruptness than before; he had likely seen them, or at least heard them.

Sai's eyes moved to Sasuke.

The Genin's body tensed, while a bead of sweat slid down his forehead. Were they caught?

The worry came to be nothing, as Sai's eyes left Sasuke a moment later. Sai Uchiha vanished within the crowd, the white and red uchiwa fan fading into the backdrops of many.

Sasuke breathed out a silent sigh of relief.

"That was Sai-kun." Sasuke looked up, and saw Sakura, her neck straining over his head. She was staring at the spot Sai had been not a minute ago.

"Yes," Sasuke said, irritated and flustered.

Why was she being so close? The skin of her throat almost bumped into his nose, making it really, really hard to breathe. And he definitely didn't like the way her hair tickled his nose (was that strawberry shampoo he smelled?). Her arms were at his side, and she struggled forward, craning her neck farther for a better look. Before he knew it, Sasuke was left staring at her chest.

His eyes widened, and he spluttered. Sasuke whipped his head away and crawled out underneath Sakura as fast as he could.

He tried running, he really did, but Sakura caught his wrist before he could do anything.

"Sasuke—quit your wriggling, dammit—stop running away from me! And you didn't answer my question either!"

Sasuke stopped thrashing. "What question?"

She rolled her eyes, but loosened his wrist. "Weren't you listening? I said: why were you following Sai-kun?"

The mention of he replacement brought Sasuke's mood down drastically. For that one second, he was tempted to tell her about what Kakashi told him, just to scare her and let her see how Sai wasn't the perfect person she always believed to be. This was supported by that dark, festering creature in the depth of his heart that roared with approval as it tried to stab a mind-Sai doll.

What did she see in that "Sai-kun" anyway? What could Sai do that Sasuke couldn't? It wasn't Sai that saved her from Zabuza's sword in Waves, it wasn't Sai that saved her from Orochimaru, it wasn't Sai who caught her from falling to her death. What made Sai so special?

_He is you_, a nasal little voice spoke in his head. _He is what you can never have again. He is your punishment for what you took for granted. He is you._

Sasuke came as close as to open his mouth and answer, but changed his mind at the last second as Logic slapped him in the face, telling him to shut up, to not have Sakura involved with all the Orochimaru-Sai crap too. He'd done enough, said enough, to stop the Invasion. No one else needed to know about it.

"Well?"

His mind still confused at the sudden, rollercoaster-ride his emotions had taken him, he looked up.

"I—he—Sai was acting suspicious." He mentally cursed himself for his stutter. If he could face down a Hokage and a former-ANBU, he shouldn't be stuttering in front of _Sakura_, his own teammate. "I followed him to see what he was doing."

Sakura eyed him strangely. "He's your teammate—well, more of a sempai or a teacher's assistant, but still. You can just _ask_ him."

He couldn't really respond to that. Doing so would require some explanation or another, and Sakura knew him too well to fall for a lie made up in ten seconds.

As if guessing what he was thinking, she grinned. "Know what, Sasuke? How 'bout I make a bet with you?"

He lifted an eyebrow, silently urging her on.

"If Sai-kun is up to something, I won't annoy you for a full day. That's twenty-four hours." She held up two and four of her fingers in emphasis. "A pretty good deal, if I say do so myself."

Sasuke watched her wearily. "And if I lose the bet?"

"If you lose the bet, you have to tell me what you were doing in the hospital, and why you were avoiding me." She glared at him pointedly.

Then she walked away, though not before turning back to him.

"Aren't you coming?"

Bewildered, he asked, "For what?"

"To stalk Sai-kun, of course."

* * *

"Wow, I never took you to be a stalker, Sasuke. You . . . have incredible stalking skills."

"Shh. He might hear us."

"He _won't_."

Three seconds passed.

"Sasuke . . ."

"_What?_"

"You stink. You smell like a fish."

Sasuke groaned. "Stop talking!"

"'Kay, 'kay. Just saying . . ."

A rustle of leaves sounded as Sakura tried to move her feet to a more comfortable location.

The silence lasted for more than thirty seconds. Finally, Sasuke was able to concentrate on the target at hand once more—also known as one Sai Uchiha—when Sakura spoke. Again.

"Sasuke, I really don't want to say this," she whispered.

"Then _don't say it_. Don't you know how to follow a person?"

Annoying.

"Yes, of course." She sounded a bit miffed. "I remember it from the Academy. It's rule number . . . twelve, I think. 'Conceal your presence and remain hidden.' And yes, I get what you're trying to say. But we are three hundred feet away from Sai-kun—I can barely _see_ him! I doubt he can hear us with all these demonic birds chirping around like some kind of—" She gave an aggravated shout, flicking off a few more of the bugs on her dress, no doubt. "—crazy . . . chickens. Or something." A pair of wagtails flitted past them, chirping merrily. "Argh!"

"'Crazy chicken or something'," Sasuke echoed amusedly.

She punched him on the shoulder, face red. "Shut up, Sasuke. You're one of them."

But Sasuke could see what she meant. They had followed Sai to the forests of a distant, abandoned training ground, where he began to . . . train.

"How so very _queer_," Sakura had said smugly.

Earlier the boy summoned ink monsters that attacked their creator, earning a few oohs and ahs from Sakura while Sasuke watched on sullenly. Right now the Chuunin was hacking away at a straw dummy with his short sword.

"Sasuke . . . I'm bored."

"And talking relieves you of boredom how?" he asked, a little irritated.

"It's just something to do. And you never let me finish my question—Did you know what happened to Lee?"

He froze, watching the splintered dummy's head fall. At a hundred yards, no sound reached them.

"Yes."

Sakura was being extra quiet, leaning back again the tree. "He can never be nin again, did you hear? Arm bones and leg bones—entirely splintered. But he's still training . . . I . . . feel bad, for treating him like that, even when we got out of the Forest."

Sasuke turned away and didn't answer.

"Scary, isn't it? What some people will do?" A light breeze passed by. Their tree branch swayed lightly with the wind. "Sabaku no Gaara . . . I wonder . . . why did he keep saying that? 'To prove the worth of my existence,' or something like it. He said that to Lee . . . I—I can't describe it. You weren't there; you can't understand how _terrifying_ his eyes were. Like a demon's . . .

"Oh yeah." Sandals scraped against bark. "Where were you? You said something about Lee . . . and something happened . . . and Kakashi-sensei got this really weird look on his face. Then you two disappeared. Did something happen? Did he ask you about the Chidori?"

"No."

She sighed. "Oh, good, 'cause I didn't tell him. You know, you can never have too much . . . blackmail . . . and stuff . . ."

Sasuke tore his eyes away from Sai and to his teammate. Sakura wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were closed.

"Hn."

She grinned with her eyes still shut. "You know you love me, Sasuke."

He gave a half-choking noise until he recognized the teasing tone in Sakura's voice.

"Got the finals down, Sasuke? You're facing . . ." Her eyebrows scrunched together. "Shikamaru, right? Number seven . . . a lucky number. You know, when they had Naruto to draw lots for you, know what he said? He shouted, in front of everyone else, 'Dammit! That bastard's got his number all the way on the other side. He better not lose . . .'" She sighed again, this time wistfully. "Man . . . Chuunin Exams . . . Wished I could've passed." She opened her eyes and glared at him. "You better not lose, Sasuke. Don't make me regret giving up my match for you."

"I could've won anyway."

And it was then—as Sakura looked at him, giggling lightly, with her bright, bright emerald eyes—that it struck him. Not like a lightning bolt or a thunder strike, but more subtle. Innocent and pure, it was like a small, budding flower of . . . something, blooming in his chest. It was then, as he stared at her, that he wanted to smile for her, to see her laugh every single day. To hold her close, to protect her, to be the one _there_ for her . . . To unmake his past mistakes of leaving . . .

He was just about to reach out, to stroke her cheek—to see if she really was real, and if this was not all a wonderful dream—when a tremor shook Konoha.

The earthquake was over fairly quickly. Sasuke managed to catch himself before falling. Sakura, however, did not.

"Whoa. That was—Oh, wow. Look!"

Sasuke's gaze followed her finger and saw, to his amazement, a gigantic cloud of smoke rising from the ground in the distant horizon. Around it, black dots that he identified as birds flapped away from the apparent center of the mini-earthquake.

"A summoning . . ."

Sasuke had a pretty good idea what the summoning was and, sure enough, the shadow of a toad appeared through smoke. It appeared to be small, but judging by their distance, Sasuke estimated the summoning to be at least ten stories tall. His memory of Gamabunta was not really clear.

"Oh my . . . Wow . . . That must be a pretty powerful ninja. I wonder who . . . But I mean, wow. Look at the _size_ of that. _No one_ but Kage-chakra-levelers could summon something that big! Oh look, Sasuke! It's a toad! Can you see? Do you know how few shinobi have their contracts signed with toads? I remember doing an entire project on this kind of stuff one time for Mizuki-sensei . . . Can you imagine it? To have someone like that in our village right now? Or it might be Hokage-sama! I heard he is well-learned in hundreds of jutsu. Maybe he can also summon toads. That would be so awesome. And wait 'til Naruto sees this. That idiot's gonna be so excited . . ."

And Sasuke could only wonder how Naruto would brag if he heard Sakura's words. The thought put a faint, faint smile to his lips.

Soon, the shadow of Gamabunta disappeared behind the waves of trees. As the cloud of dust settled, unfortunately, Sakura's attention was too soon diverted to another.

"Speaking of great ninjas." She turned her head toward their target. Sai had already resumed his slicing and dicing of dummies . . . providing that the summoning had deterred his training in the first place.

She cocked an eyebrow in Sasuke's direction. "See? I _knew_ Sai-kun wouldn't do anything."

"He might still . . . do _something_."

"Che, Sasuke. You're just a sore loser. Admit it, I _won_."

Where Sai was, a huge ink elephant appeared. Its trunk tore a tree straight off its roots and hurled it straight at the ten remaining dummies. They fell like pins.

Sakura gave a silent squeal.

"Did you see that, Sasuke?" she whispered excitedly. The girl's attention was no longer center upon him, focused instead on the oh-so-mighty Sai _Uchiha_. "Oh my god, I never saw him summon something that size before. It must've been like, what, fifty feet?" It was actually only fifteen feet tall, but Sasuke was too busy glowering to point that out. "Wow. Sai-kun has gotten even stronger than before (and I didn't even know that was possible)! And the way he—Sasuke? Where are you going?"

"You win the bet," he snapped at her. "There's nothing else for me to do here. I'm _leaving_."

Why did he bother? Why did he bother following Sai and, most of all, taking Sakura to see said boy when he clearly knew this would happen?

And he was not jealous.

He was not jealous.

He was not jealous.

Sasuke was annoyed, fucking irritated, at Sakura's behavior. Why would she ever like that son of a—blank, emotionless bastard? Why would she ever like someone who would betray the village for vengeance? Why would she proclaim her love for someone who wished to kill her?

Sakura was stupid.

She was so _stupid_.

The longer he stayed there, the more he realized what a stupid idea following Sai was. Coming here was stupid. Making that stupid bet with her was stupid. Everything was all stupid.

Without another word, he jumped off the tree and ran away. A few seconds later, he was out of sight entirely.

* * *

Sakura, who had tried to follow Sasuke, landed on the ground a moment too late. When she looked up, the boy was nowhere to be found among the greenery and dry grass. Sasuke had ditched her a second time.

"What's up with _him?_" One second it was perfectly fine; heck, she even had a thought that Sasuke _wasn't so bad after all_. Things could've stayed that way, but _no_, that Sasuke just had to run off like a dog with a trodden tail. And she didn't even say anything about him! All she did was compliment Sai on his abilities—and then Sasuke ran away! What was the logic there?

With her hands on her waist, she turned her heels around in a huge _huff_. That insufferable prick! She didn't even get to ask him about the hospital thing. What an insolent jerk! Inconsiderate asshole! Emotionally constipated idiot! Arrogant pretty-boy!

Stupid, stupid _men_.

Aggravated, she kicked a pebble, which flew off the ground and disappeared into a bush. That irritated her even more.

But when she was prepared to express her rage in some sort of verbal outburst, a splashing sound reached her ears.

Oh . . . right. Sai-kun.

She shimmied through the thick, prickly bushes and then ducked behind a small tree for cover. In her raging tantrum, Sakura had gotten closer to Sai unknowingly. He was barely fifty feet away now (and a miracle that he didn't hear her), she could see through the bushes and trees, using his sword again to chop off pieces of wooden blocks in midair then tossing them up for another dicing. It was an amazing feat, and even more amazing was how Sai could still pull it off with the same calm, blank expression.

It had been because of this, Sakura remembered, that she admired Sai: for his incredible talent and oh-so-heartbreaking looks. He was what every girl dreamed of, what every girl could ever want.

Remembering her promise to Ino, to tell her of the moment Sai appeared back in Konoha, Sakura carefully rose to her feet . . . but then had a different idea. Sai didn't notice her, even when she was so close; it must mean her skills of stealth were improving! And . . . if she could sneak up to Sai-kun right now, how impressed he would be with her!

It was the perfect plan. Even if Sai did manage to catch her before the surprise, he would probably be too happy to see her anyway. Judging by the setting of the sun, it was about five o'clock in the afternoon. Just the right time for dinner.

As Sakura tiptoed expertly across the clearing, she fancied the locations of their romantic first date. Mochi Teahouse? Too sparse. That dango place over at the merchant's district? Excellent desserts, but not romantic enough. Kiki's Diners? Pft. The wallpaper there alone was enough to kill off any attempts of romantic approach. Geez, where was a good restaurant when you needed one? There must be a good place _somewhere_ in Konoha . . .

Twenty feet away from Sai, Sakura paused. She wasn't too sure why either. Maybe it was because of the suddenly chilly temperature. Or maybe it was the abnormal silence around this place. And Sai-kun? No sound coming from her future soul mate, there. Why wasn't he doing anything?

Sakura shifted her neck to the tree's left, where a full view of the small clearing was presented to her . . .

The first thing she noticed was the cut wooden blocks that scattered around Sai. The boy stood in the center with his short sword by his side, panting heavily but quietly. Yellow straws from skewered dummies were visible beneath the layers of discarded weapons and ink-stained scrolls. As she watched, Sai held his hands up shakily into a seal.

"Ninja Arts: Ink Beast—"

He never finished the sentence. The inky blob that rose in front of him burst apart almost immediately. Sai's arms dropped weakly by his side.

"Not . . . good . . . enough . . ." Sakura heard him mutter with each pant. There seemed to some sort of wound on his left shoulder, as Sai grasped at it tightly. His knees, bent slightly, showed how little strength he had left to support himself. His head was lowered, hair trussed up and slick with sweat.

"Power . . . I need . . . _power_ . . ."

She thought it to only be a trick of light at first, the red fire which danced across her Sai-kun's neck. But then the flames began to spread, covering the full of Sai's neck and expanding to his face, his arms, and his legs, leaving black scorch marks across his skin . . . Sai, however, didn't even seem to notice. In fact, he was _smiling_.

Sakura didn't realize her hands were shaking.

"Hahaha . . ." he began to chuckle. "This is . . . power . . . This is how it feels like." The sword sliced through over his head in a graceful arc, before landing on the ground. The earth beneath his feet shattered and collapsed with a dull crunching noise, forming a small crater.

"Yes . . . Now—NINJA ARTS: MYTHICAL BEAST IMITATION!"

The leftover ink around Sai bubbled and seethed. From each puddle on the ground there then came a thin strand of ink, dancing like a charmed cobra, and congregating in the air into a dense black sphere. Even in this form, the ink pulsed and frothed restlessly.

With a mad grin, Sai opened his fist.

"Release."

The sphere convulsed and writhed, a head-like thing forming on one side while, as Sakura watched in horror, four leg sprouted out in other sides. The legs stretched for extension as the head grew eyes and mouth. It grew to what clearly resembled a very, very large dog . . . over thirty feet tall.

"Shippeitaro, slayer of the malicious cats." Sai laughed again. "You may be my greatest creation yet."

The beast gave an agonizing roar.

"How fun . . ." Sai chuckled.

Sakura couldn't take it anymore. Not caring if she would be caught, she tore through the woods, faster than she thought she could ever run, with Sai's cruel laughter resonating in her ears.

* * *

Hurried footsteps met Sasuke's ears.

At first, he thought it was nothing—there were plenty of ninjas in the village who could run at that speed. But as the sound grew closer, he was also startled to realize that, accompanied by footsteps, there were sniffles of tears. A girl.

The running sound of footsteps stopped suddenly, and Sasuke turned around. There Sakura stood, tears flowing down from wide, shocked eyes.

"Sakura . . . ?"

She took one step forward. Then another. Her movements were jerky, as if she had seen a ghost. Besides them, people passed and milled about in the lazy afternoon heat, unconcerned for the two child ninjas.

Then her head tilted up and met Sasuke's eyes, where she promptly burst into another round of tears.

"S-Sakura?"

She hugged him and cried on him in the middle of the street in broad daylight. Her hair was disheveled from the run, her clothes was crumpled from spending hours up in a tree. She clung onto him—something she had never done to anyone other than Sai—like some sort of security blanket.

He wasn't good with emotions. Never having anyone to comfort after his clan's massacre, he did not understand how to behave with a crying, most likely startled, girl. And so he brought his hands awkwardly on top of her head, and patted her like he would to a dog.

Her crying ceased, and Sakura spoke, "Sasuke, y-you really s-suck at comforting a-a g-girl." Her laugh, half-stained with sobs, was muffled by his shirt.

Sasuke gave no reply; what was there to say?

And they stood there like that, with Sakura crying, and Sasuke still petting her in his socially-retarded-but-still-very-sweet way.

They were there still long after the streetlight turned on.

* * *

**A/N:** I . . . really don't know what to think of this chapter. On one hand, it's basically a filler, except for some important information. But on the other hand, there is some sort of SasuSaku . . . ?


	16. Tension Mounts High: the Finals Begin!

**Disclaimer: In which the authoress disclaims, "I do not own Naruto," having nothing witty to say.**

**A/N:** I'm . . . really sorry about this chapter. Most of it I'd it written during this looong bus trip, and it didn't flow very well . . . Sorry.

Answer to last chapter's Naruto Quiz: According to Madara Uchiha, Itachi _did_ have a lover who Itachi killed in the Uchiha Massacre. I think Kishimoto is pretty crafty about this, since Madara never told us if said lover is a man. O.o

You know, Itachi reminds me of Dumbledore in a way. Both are intelligent, pacific, powerful, and deemed gay by most of the fans . . .

* * *

16. Tension Mounts High: the Finals Begin!

Sasuke stood, silently panting, on the Chidori-driven mountaintop.

His last attack had taken away nearly all of his chakra reserves. It was all Sasuke could do to stay standing.

He glared at the hole the jutsu had created, but it was more satisfaction than anything else. Like the way an artist examines at his painting proudly after its completion.

Behind his book, Kakashi raised an impressed eyebrow. "Hm . . . that's pretty good. Two Chidori in one day. Personally, I'd run out of chakra after four."

Ignoring the ache in his shoulders and the lead weight in his calves, Sasuke sucked in another huge breath before his hands flew into another flurry of seals.

Kakashi grabbed Sasuke's wrists. Seeing his student's glare, he repeated, "Two Chidori in one day."

Sasuke eventually lost the glaring contest and, as Kakashi would tell him later, looked precisely like a baby being denied of candy.

"Fine," grumbled Sasuke, tearing his wrist away.

"Patience, Sasuke. After all, you need to conserve your strength. For the lunch that you are about to treat your awesome sensei to."

"Che. Whatever."

His teacher sighed—when were these brats going to learn respect?—and "casually" threw a water bottle at Sasuke.

When his student stumbled and fell on his bottom, Kakashi _tsk_ed in displeasure.

"Don't try to sneak-train. Your body needs rest. Let it."

Sasuke silently patted dirt off his black shorts. He tried to stand, but found that his wobbly legs could not support him. Sasuke glared at the bottle in defeat. Curse Kakashi to be right for once.

He wasn't really mad at his teacher, of course. This weird high he had (even as he tried to conceal it with grunt and glares) after learning the Chidori was . . . annoying. It made him want to _smile_ and _laugh_ and other impossible things that he had basically _sworn_ not to do in his life, even though the Chidori was a relearning. And . . . He didn't realize it in the Forest of Death, but the crude Lightning Blade then? It was much less brighter and definitely less powerful than the Chidori he was capable of wielding _now_.

Was this what they called "satisfaction"?

(But really, if he was honest with himself, this wasn't the first time he felt such . . . elation. Mastering jutsus were hardly his main source of—and he winced inwardly at the next thought—happiness. Because he _was_ happy. He was happy to be with the annoying dead-last, happy to be with his perverted sensei, and, most of all, happy to be with _Sakura_—)

"Sasuke."

His eyes snapped to said perverted sensei. Privately though, he was glad Kakashi spoke before his thoughts went into dangerous territory.

"What?"

"Come, now, Sasuke. Be more polite. I'm older than you after all—I can beat you to pulp anytime." Kakashi grinned as Sasuke paled. "I actually have something to ask you about."

"What—What is it?"

If it was more errands, Sasuke swore—

"Sai," said Kakashi bluntly. He opened his new Icha Icha novel (bought by Sasuke's hard-earned paycheck, dammit!), but his eyes were on his prodigy student. "Watch out for Sai."

"Sai?" A tiny trace of foreboding climbed up his spine. He remembered Sakura's tear-streaked face, her refusal to say anything, but also her denial that it had anything to do with Sai. With careful indifference, he asked, "Why?"

He noticed that Kakashi averted his eyes—

"No reason."

—and knew he was lying.

But before Sasuke could get out a "What happened to him?" Kakashi continued, in a lighter tone, "Now, about that lunch you owe me—remember, the final's tomorrow. If you still want your beloved sensei to train you, you better pay . . ."

All other thoughts were forgotten—as Sasuke heard his tomato-shaped piggybank crack miles away.

* * *

It was the morning of the finals.

Birds chirped incessantly from branch to branch like never-ending background music. Shadows stretched across one of the many routes in the dense woods, providing a brief release from the warm summer sun that beat down Konoha with its glaring heat. Squirrels and lizards scattered away into the foliages as the three youngest members of Team 7 made their way through the forested path.

Naruto and Sasuke looked slightly haggard, bits of leaves and branches still stuck in their hair, though confident in their steps. Sakura walked between them, being the only one who hadn't suffered from the last-minute chakra control training session Kakashi had requested before leaving.

Sasuke listened as Sakura chattered away with some last-minute pep-talk . . . or what Sasuke assumed to be a pep-talk.

". . . better not lose on the first round, Sasuke, or else I'll have your head! You know what I sacrificed by letting you win? And you too Naruto! Kakashi-sensei _specifically_ told me that if either of you lose on the first match, you will have to climb up and down the Hokage Mountain five times . . . _horizontally!_"

"I won't lose against _Shikamaru_, Sakura. He's too lazy to do anything."

"Underestimating your opponent, Sasuke? Seriously, no wonder you lost against me!"

"I didn't _lose_ against you—"

"Can you two not bicker so much? My head hurts."

Both stopped automatically.

And turned their heads to their last teammate in shock.

Because it was _Naruto_ who spoke.

Naruto's eyes were downcast, hands fisted by his side. Sandals scraped dry dirt still, not realizing its owner's two teammates had paused in their steps.

"Naruto?"

"Dobe."

The blond turned around with a smile—so fake, so un-Naruto-like.

It was then Sasuke wondered why he hadn't noticed his best friend's silence, even though it had been so obvious during training too.

"Hey, aren't you two coming? You know, it's kinda strange, you two going quiet all of a sudden." Naruto tilted his head at their deadpan expressions, confused by their behavior. "What? Did I leave noodles on my face again?" He swiped at his face a few times.

"Naruto, did . . . did something happen?" Sakura asked tentatively.

"Something happen? Whatcha talking about, Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Naruto, with a _fake smile_. Naruto, _lying_, and to _Sakura_ of all people. Naruto, _attempting_ to be cheerful.

Naruto, unhappy.

"Nothing happened." He turned his back to them again. "Come one. Let's go before we're late for the finals."

"Oh . . . sure, I guess." Sakura looked uncertainly at Sasuke, and then back at Naruto.

Sasuke didn't speak.

So Sakura followed Naruto, running a little to catch up to him. "Hey, Naruto," she said in an attempt to change the subject, "how did your date with Hinata go?"

You didn't need a Sharingan eye to see Naruto's suddenly tense shoulders, stiffened gait, and even more downcast eyes.

"What, you don't want to share the details with us?" Sakura continued to joke, oblivious to Naruto's reactions. "I'm a bit hurt, you know. I thought we are—"

"Sakura," said Sasuke.

"Huh?"

"Don't—"

There was a presence nearby. Sasuke whirled around, and for a second thought it was Gaara of Sand, or Kabuto, or even _Orochimaru_—

"Hinata-chan!"

But it was only the Hyuuga girl.

Sasuke relaxed.

But to Naruto, she might've well been Kami incarnated. His entire face literally lit up—his smile widened, his eyes brightened, his pace quickened—and he raced to Hinata like her being there was a personal miracle.

The girl stuttered, "N-N-N-Naruto-k-kun, oh-hayo—"

Naruto cut the girl off with a bear hug. "HINATA-CHAN, I'M SO SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I REALLY DIDN'T MEAN TO DO WHATEVER HAPPENED AT ICHIRAKU'S, AND I KNOW YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO HATE ME AFTER THAT BUT I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOU 'CAUSE I LIKE YOU, LIKE _A LOT AND A LOT AND A LOT_! I PROMISE I'LL CHANGE AND NOT EAT WITH MY MOUTH OPEN AND PAY FOR YOUR RAMEN ALWAYS AND WALK YOU BACK HOME AND ALL THOSE WEIRD THINGS ERO-SENNIN TOLD ME GIRLS LIKE AND—"

"N-Naruto-kun!"

"—GIVE YOU ROSES AND FLUFFY STUFF ANIMALS FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY, REMEMBER ANNIE-VERSE-ARIES—whatever they are—AND-AND-AND—"

Hinata had looked more than shocked when Naruto started to ramble on apologizes. However, as she made more sense of his words (more sense than Sasuke could, anyway), she smiled in understanding.

As Naruto still kept on shouting out frantically, she looped her hands around his waist. Abruptly, Naruto paused in his senseless tirade.

"Narut-to-kun." Gently, she pushed him off her, but linked her fingers with his. She smiled lightly into his eyes, and Naruto's face matched the same beet-red as Hinata's. "I-I don't hate you."

"Hinata-chan . . . You don't have to lie—"

"I'm n-n-not lying, Naruto-kun." She wrapped her fingers around his wrists. "I—I r-really, really like you. And I want to spend a lot of time with you! Because, Naruto-kun, you are one of the bravest people I know, and I want to be like you!" She paused after her outburst and her face, if possible, reddened even more. She ducked her head embarrassedly. "I-I'm s-sorry, Narut-to-k-kun. I shouldn't h-have said—"

To this, Naruto expressed the only way he could express anything: physically. He wrapped his hands around Hinata's shoulders and hugged her tightly.

"Naruto-k-kun?" the girl gasped.

"So . . . you really don't hate me?" Naruto watched her, seeming almost fearful of her rejection.

Hinata shook her head then smiled. "No."

And the idiotic blond, hearing her words, gave an ear-splitting grin. "Thank you, Hina-chan! Let's do our best in our fights today!"

The girl blushed even harder, but didn't faint. "H-hai."

Behind them, long forgotten, the two members of Team 7 rolled their eyes and gave each other a smug, knowing look.

* * *

After leaving Sasuke and Naruto at the contestant's entrance, Sakura found Ino at the audience seat. Carefully, she wiped her face of any concern and proceeded.

"Oh my, Pig, seen a scale recently?—oh, of course not. The poor thing will probably collapse at the _sight_ of you."

Ino turned, her eye twitching, but still responded with reasonable grace, "Not at all, seeing that you're asking me. At least when I use a mirror, it won't blind me with my gigantic, shining forehead."

Sakura's fake smile wavered. "Pig."

Ino smiled sweetly. "Forehead."

"Oi! Haruno, Yamanaka! Stop blocking the view, man!"

Both of the girls turned and saw Kiba Inuzuka sitting there alongside with Chouji Akimichi, who was munching up another bag of junk food. Kiba winced whenever a piece of potato chip landed on his face.

"Kiba! You got out of the hospital?" Sakura asked, nodding at his casual clothes.

"Yeah," he said in disgust as he flicked off a piece of chip from his shoulder. Akamaru barked once, disgruntled.

"Chouji!" Ino shouted. "Have some manners, will ya? Look at all those lords and daimyos!"

"So?" Chouji said through a mouthful of food. "I on'y came 'ere to 'ee Shi'amar-oo." He gulped, smiling contently. "The lords and daimyos won't care if I eat at the stadium or not."

With that, he tore open another chip bag and began to munch.

Ino sighed. "You're incorrigible, Chouji."

Sakura gave a small smile at her two classmates' interactions, one of sadness. Sitting here with Chouji, Kiba, and Ino reminded her of the person that wasn't present, that one spontaneous green-spandex-suit-boy with a (literally) blinding smile and bushy, bushy eyebrows.

These past few days, especially the times after her hospital visits, Sakura had wondered and wondered. She regretted the way she had treated Lee—so what she was a bit uncomfortable with his affections? She shouldn't have rejected him in such a way. . . . She had promised to herself to outgrow those petty and shallow behaviors, hadn't she? Thinking back, Sakura realized how cruel she had been with Lee. She should've been kinder to him, less judgmental, less irritable. . . . Perhaps, if Lee hadn't been so eager to prove himself, he wouldn't be—

_Stop it_, she told herself firmly. Her thoughts were growing more and more irrational.

Lee wouldn't want her to think like this, she reminded herself.

_Lee-san would want me to be happy._

* * *

The stadium's cheers and applauds met Sasuke's ears.

So this was how the finals started like? Sasuke wondered as he looked up and around the surrounding audience members around the center arena. He saw groups of lord and daimyos clap their hands delicately while civilians gave the louder cheers and whistles. And the arena itself . . . His eyes darted left and right, searching for potential hiding spots amongst the various foliages. One of the many things he'd learned from Sakura's fight was to not underestimate your opponent and, no matter how harmless Shikamaru seemed to be, there was always the chance that he would surprise him.

(Still, what Sasuke really was thinking was how a victory over Shikamaru would look in his Chuunin Exams; the Naras were considered geniuses after all. It wasn't a particularly nice thought, but it was realistic enough. In his mind, Naruto, Neji, and Gaara were the real opponents. The others mattered little.)

"Sakura-chan!" A few contestants beside Sasuke, Naruto shouted enthusiastically. His arms flailed around in excitement. "Hey, Sakura-chan!"

The dobe's loud voice always did a good job at penetrating Sasuke's thoughts. In annoyance he glared up to the stands, where his glare was melted away at the sight of pink hair. He could always recognize her out of a crowd of thousands.

"Ganbatte, Naruto, Sasuke!" she seemed to be shouting.

And Sasuke wasn't actually blushing. His face was just flush from the morning exercise.

"All Chuunin finals contestants o'er here, please."

Sasuke turned around, and was met with a brunette male of his twenties wearing a bandana. The man had a toothpick in his mouth.

"Huh? Where's Hayate?" Naruto shouted from the back.

The man spat out his toothpick and gave Naruto a glare. "Hayate is . . . unavailable. I'm here as a substitute. My name is Genma, and I will be the proctor for the last stage of this Chuunin Exams, aka right now. Here," he took out a sheet of paper, "is the schedule for the finals. Take a good look at who you're fighting, since your opponent might've changed."

Changed?

_1. Naruto Uzumaki  
2. Tenten_

_3. Neji Hyuuga  
4. Hinata Hyuuga_

_5. Shino Aburame  
6. Sasuke_

_7. Shikamaru Nara  
8. Temari_

Sasuke was up against . . . Shino? The creepy bug boy? What happened? What—

_Wait a second. . . ._

Sasuke scanned the paper again.

Number one: Naruto Uzumaki . . . Number two: Tenten . . . Number three: Neji Hyuuga . . . Number four: Hinata Hyuuga . . .

_Hinata Hyuuga?_

Sasuke looked at the line of the finals' contestants and was hit with realization.

Gaara was absent. Gaara wasn't with them, in the arena.

"Another woman? How troublesome . . ."

"Hm . . . So I am up against Team 7's Sasuke . . ."

"Yes! I'm _still_ up against Tenten . . ."

"Naruto-san. Are you calling me a pushover?"

"M-my opponent is N-Neji-nii? I-I—"

Sasuke snuck a glance to Temari, Gaara's sister, and found her completely out of composure—her usual mask of apathy marred by fidgety fingers and not-so-unnoticeable worried glances left and right. Once or twice her gaze strayed to the empty spot where Gaara was supposed to be standing, before she caught herself and averted her eyes. When she finally noticed Sasuke's stares, she almost jumped, her face was so shocked. Then a small flash of fear. Then a glare for Sasuke, followed by a . . . rather shaky sneer, before whipping her head away in a huff.

For his part, Sasuke watched her reaction with something close to expectation.

Something big had gone wrong in the operations of the invasion: Konoha now knew about the plan, and had taken measures to prevent it from happening. It was a variable in this life, a variable _Sasuke_ had introduced.

This political scandal amongst three nations must have been hushed up quietly. Leaf gave her enemies a clear message: drop it. Drop the plan. It wasn't going to work. Of course, the real problem, the dangerous alliance between Suna and Oto, was not yet solved, but Sasuke had confidence that once the Kazekage had been revealed as a fake (one piece of information he had withheld from Kakashi and the Third), something that would happen in only a matter of time, the alliance would dissolve easily.

Gaara was a major instrument in the attack of Konoha last time. Suna and Oto would think twice about their plan if it wasn't for Sabaku no Gaara, Jinchuuriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku. Gaara had been such a powerhouse that Konoha would surely have lost had it not been for Naruto. Temari's panic meant that something about the plan had changed. Gaara's absence in the stadium meant Suna and Oto had admitted defeat. There was simply nothing else that could tip the scale that much.

In simpler words—

The Konoha Invasion . . . was over.

* * *

"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

Ten clones surrounded Naruto's opponent. Tenten, who already had handfuls of various weapons in her hand, glanced left and right, most likely contemplating about his clones.

The clones grinned.

"CHAAARGE!"

Fists drawn back, the orange blurs ran for Tenten as the crowd around them gasped. The girl jumped up and flung her weapons downward, hitting every target ten out of ten. Narutos disappeared with an angry shout and small puffs of smoke. Every single one of them.

Then . . . where was the original?

"Up here!"

Tenten lifted her head. Above her, Naruto dropped down, kunai in hand.

But she was too quick for him, and jumped away in time to avoid his weapon. Now five yards away from each other, Tenten fished out six kunai and, with a grunt, hurled them at Naruto.

Her aim was off, though; Naruto was able to dodge easily by a turn of his shoulders.

"That's all you've got?" he asked in real surprise and suspicion.

And this time it was Tenten's turn to grin. "Not even close, Naruto-san."

She flung her arms back. Sunlight overhead slanted just so . . . and Naruto saw them. Wires. Around Tenten's fingers.

And beside his leg.

"Damn it!" he shouted, trying to leap away. The six kunai twitched and rose free from the ground. Using the knives as weights, Tenten controlled the kunai with a flick of her wrists and trapped Naruto in midair. They wrapped around his legs and waist, and Naruto barely managed to form a cross with his fingers.

_Poof!_ Beside him, a Buushin appeared. As the original fell to the ground, unable to move, the clone was able to slice the wires away. Tenten's kunai, aiming for the second Naruto, came too late, and the blonde was able to escape. The clone disappeared with a cloud of smoke, a cheeky smile on its face.

_That was way too close,_ Naruto thought, breathing heavily but grinning at the same time.

Perhaps it was time to call on ol' Nine-Tails—

_Phiw!—thud._

It seemed that even the female member in Gai's team were fast. The kunai—stuck on the ground a foot away—would've gotten him in some seriously injuries if he hadn't dodged.

"Keep your guard up, Naruto-san!" Tenten shouted as another six came down in a wave.

Around them, the audience gasped when Naruto tried to escape Tenten's kunai after kunai. His nails dug into the earth, unable to stand up and run for fear of the onslaught overhead.

One kunai managed to embed itself deep inside his orange jacket, and Naruto fell motionless as if paralyzed. Then another kunai met its target. Then another. Then another.

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud—Poof!_

As expected, the clone vaporized into the air.

Tenten's palm struck the ground as she slid backward to a pause.

_Where is he?_ her darting eyes seem to be saying.

She didn't need to wait long.

"MULTI-SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" Naruto roared overhead on top of a tree.

And fifty orange figures jumped out from their hiding places, storming through the arena with their loud battle cries.

Tenten's shock did not stop her for long; as soon as the clones came within reach, the kunoichi regained her composure and set out to stab through every single clone.

However, whereas the first wave of Shadow Clones was meant to distract Tenten from the original Naruto, these were playing for the keeps. Even with Tenten's excellent aim, some Narutos managed to elude her flying weapons with their strength in numbers and of course, _brilliant_ strategy.

Halfway between a dodge and a punch, the real Naruto nodded to another blond, and who upon receiving the signal transformed himself into a windmill shuriken that fitted into Naruto's hand.

"GET OUTA MY WAY! GET OUTA MY WAY! GIGANTIC WEAPON—" Naruto ran and hurled the shuriken through the parted crowd "—_COMING THROUGH!_"

Along with the rest of the clones, Tenten ducked out of the way—but she was caught by surprise when the windmill shuriken transformed back to the Naruto clone, who immediately threw forward two kunai.

Between the flying weapons and converging clones, Tenten had no choice but to dive backward, her back arching over the ground, but not before letting another round of weapons fly.

Three more Narutos disappeared, but the rest multiplied themselves still with a unified cry of "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

Pretty soon, Tenten was cornered to the wall by a mass of orange.

The clones lined up in rows—how such replicas of the loud and undisciplined would ever manage such feat was beyond anyone—and every two Narutos grabbed one clone.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO—" Like cannonballs, the clones were launched. "—BULLET!"

With at least seventy Narutos coming her way, Tenten was down to her last resort. With a tight grimace, she pulled out a pair of nunchucks—two long sticks connected by a length of chain—and ran across the stadium walls.

Naruto saw as Tenten leapt into the air, her feet pushing her out vertically from concrete. When she was met with three of his Shadow Clones in the air, her nunchucks began spinning in rapid circles.

It was similar to an electrical fan without the outer metal net. Naruto had tried to stick a carrot inside one of his old fans once. The results were a carrot with deep cut marks and a broken fan. After that experiment, he learned not to put his fingers near that thing ever again.

The spinning nunchucks were rather like the fan, cutting through clone after clone. The ones Tenten did not destroy were used by her as a springing board to kick herself higher into the air; right now, she was almost twenty feet in the air. Because of this, Tenten was able to retain altitude while still destroying all the clones.

So Naruto stopped his clones. He wasn't that much of an idiot—if there were no more clones left, Tenten would fall like a rock into his clones' hands.

But Tenten was no idiot either.

When Tenten stepped off the very last Naruto clone, which disappeared in a _poof!_, the girl leapt five feet more, flipped backwards, and reached into her pocket for . . . two scrolls.

"Scrolls?" Narutos squinted their eyes. _A summoning jutsu?_

Tenten was falling now, but her scrolls flapped open. Clones braced themselves with a kunai in hand, ready to attack at command.

"Heavenly destruction—"

Tenten landed on the ground, arms crossed so that the scrolls had a ribbon-like effect, whipping in the windy grounds.

But nothing happened, and Naruto hesitated.

"RISING TWIN DRAGONS!"

Tenten spun up to the sky like a drill. Her scrolls flew alongside. Almost at once, myriad weapons—some not even Naruto could recognize—flew out.

"Ah!"

"Oof!"

"Shit, I'm—"

"Ugh—"

With choruses of agonizing shouts, Naruto clones disappeared on all sides in rapid _poof!_s.

When at last the smoke cleared away there was only one Naruto left. He lied on the ground, motionless and obviously defeated. Around him, the ground was scattered with a sea of weapons.

Tenten descended.

"Naruto-san," she began, her breath quick and shallow. She held out a kunai, "I confess, today I come to this match hoping for an easy victory. It seems that the rumors of the number one prankster of the Academy were false, though. I was mistaken. You are much stronger than I ever thought.

"But my mistake ends now."

Under the audience's expectant gazes, she raised her weapon high so that its blade glinted in the sunlight—

Tenten's kunai missed. It travelled a clean left from the body, completely off target.

Naruto tumbled out of the trees, clutching his shoulder where one kunai stayed: the one weapon he could not dodge in time.

Behind them, the clone dissipated.

"Heh. Guess I should've known the same trick won't work on you twice." Naruto grinned despite his pain. "Prankster's number one rule, eh?"

"You knew it was coming. You dodged."

Naruto's hands rose, trembling, but it seemed he, like Tenten, had reached his limits. His eyesight blurred and he felt more than a little nauseous.

"It's Lee I'm fighting for, Naruto. That's why," her arms crossed, with wires banded around each finger, "I cannot lose!"

Each blade, knife, sword, kunai, shuriken, and tonfa that had scattered the ground . . . twitched.

Her hands bunched up the wires.

"Rising Twin Dragons: Second Wind!"

But all Naruto did was taking a deep breath in.

He bit his thumb and blood flowed out.

_Here comes nothing!_

* * *

And the sky rained with metal.

* * *

**A/N:** I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story so far. You are the best! Thank you for your support and criticisms. I will try to make SNU a better fic, dattebayo! :)

And finally, I really need to know something. From the scale of one to ten, one being the least and ten being the most, how much does the Voice bother you? I'm making some changes in the story, nothing too big—except for this decision. The plan is to get rid of him after chapter one if he is too troublesome . . . Right now I've actually figured out a way to remove him from the plot without much trouble, so, um, please vote? Thanks. :)

I don't want to make this a poll question since so few people take the poll anyway. Please send in your suggestion in PM if review is not to your liking.


	17. Looking Underneath the Underneath

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N: **I'm really sorry for this chapter's delay. :( My writer's block is being a real pain right now, and I don't really have an excuse other than that. Chapter eighteen should be on schedule, but like this, it can't be guaranteed. Sorry.

Oh, and as for the Voice thing, I've decided not to edit him out. However, some of his interactions with Sasuke might be deleted. Voice is still absent right now in the chapters, but it should appear soon. :) Thanks for everyone's vote, and sorry again for not getting back to you guys. It's just been a bit hard, but I'll try my hardest, always!

* * *

17. Looking Underneath the Underneath

"_Does Sasuke know?"_

Tap, tap, tap, fell from the sky.

Sasuke Uchiha paused in his steps, Sharingan flashing red.

Why—why was Naruto talking about him? Behind his back?

Was this some sort of trap after all?

He masked his chakra and crept closer, his hand on the Kusanagi.

Before the seventeen year old could do anything, however, another voice—one that he recognized as Sakura's—answered.

"No. He doesn't." Another pause. "What do you planning on, when he _does_ know about _him_? Uchiha Sasuke is a dangerous S-rank criminal, Rokudaime-sama."

_Rokudaime_-sama?

Naruto laughed uneasily. Whether by the tone of Sakura's voice or the subject, Sasuke didn't know.

"_He_ gave me the power to stop Sasuke when the time comes to it . . . I would know. I'm the only one that can stop him."

Neither spoke for a while.

"You still believe he can be saved," Sakura said finally. "Even after everything that has happened."

"Yeah."

_Tap, tap, tap, tap__._ Rain fell from the sky. Sasuke's wet hair matted against his forehead, but he didn't quite care—or simply didn't notice.

"Naruto—I will support your decision regarding Sasuke, whatever it is. But that doesn't mean I agree."

"I . . . I know . . ."

"I will do whatever it helps for us to win the war. It is for Tsunade-shishou . . . and Kakashi-sensei . . ." The sound of quiet, scraping fabric reached Sasuke's ears. "I am done here now, Hokage-sama. Hinata will come a few minutes later to check on your chakra flow. I am needed at the battlefield."

Footsteps tapped, nearing the entrance of the tent.

"You still love him."

Naruto's voice came out strange—and that was when Sasuke realized that Naruto's words lacked conviction.

A pause.

"I don't," Sakura said.

The tent door was shifted aside, and from there Sasuke could see Sakura, standing there, head dipped down.

"I've never."

And, strangely, some part of Sasuke—some part he never knew existed—died with those two words.

* * *

**~.*.~**

* * *

_Come on come on come on come on__—_

Naruto's eyes were scrunched shut.

_Give me more of your power!_

"SUMMONING NO JUTSU!"

An enormous cloud of smoke puffed into existence. It expanded out and enveloped the entire arena, masking Naruto's presence.

The crowd gasped and, for those audience members whose vision was not yet blocked, stretched their heads forward for a better look. Beneath them, Tenten plucked out three kunai for each hand and crossed them across her face for any oncoming attacks.

But what came surprised all.

At first all anyone could make out was the simply _gigantic_ shadow of . . . something. Then, as a particularly strong gust of wind blew away the smoke, even Neji Hyuuga's eyes bugged out.

Before them was the gigantic toad, Gamabunta. The massive toad terrified several of the ladies and even a few of the lords so, causing them to faint.

"_NARUTO!_" the toad roared, turning its body to look for said boy. Several trees were crunched under his giant webbed feet. "HOW DARE YOU SUMMON ME AGAIN?"

Naruto grinned apologetically, scratching his head. "Eh, looks like I overdid it again . . ."

"YOU BRAT!" Gamabunta lifted his head, and for a moment Naruto thought the toad was going to hit him with the smoking pipe. "ONCE IS ENOUGH, AND NOW YOU'RE CALLING ME HERE FOR SOMETHING AS—AS—" the toad turned left and right, glaring at the cringing civilians "—AS PESKY AS A LITTLE _CHUUNIN EXAM!_ I WAS HAVING A NICE TIME BACK AT MOUNT MYOUBOKU, WATCHING A PARTICULARLY BEAUTIFUL LADY AT THE HOT SPRINGS—er, I mean . . ."

Everyone sweat-dropped.

"Um . . . Gamabunta-sama," Naruto whispered rather nervously.

Gamabunta got over his slip. "WHAT IS IT NOW, YOU IDIOT? IF THIS IS ONE MORE OF YOUR MORONIC SCHEMES, I'LL SHAKE YOU OFF SOMEWHERE HIGH AND—"

"No, no! I, uh, I mean . . . you're sort of stepping on someone . . ."

"STEPPING ON SOMEONE?"

A thousand heads, including that one of a giant toad's, looked down as Gamabunta lifted his foot.

Tenten lied there on all fours, groaning in pain.

* * *

"_A most surprising outcome."_

"_Indeed. That was the Jinchuurki boy, wasn't it?"_

"_Naruto Uzumaki, I think his name is."_

"_Hmph. I guess even scum can achieve something."_

After Naruto was announced winner (and after Gamabunta had left, much to everyone's relief), Tenten was lifted into a stretcher for twenty-six bone fractures, multiple lacerations, and inner organ injuries all over her body. She was still able to smile when Naruto came over, kneeling by the girl's side.

"Naruto . . . that was a good fight. Ow!" She winced slightly from pain, but continued, "I'm glad I was able to fight you."

"Same here, Tenten!" He grinned.

Tenten mirrored his smile for a moment, and then sighed. "I . . . I really shouldn't be saying this, seeing he's my teammate and all, but . . ." she cleared her throat, "good luck on your fight against Neji."

"Neji?" Naruto asked, frowning. "I know Neji's older, but how do you know Hinata-chan won't win? She's pretty strong too!"

Tenten looked at him and said nothing.

Soon the medics arrived, carrying the girl away in stretchers. Naruto was left alone on the field, thunderous applauses echoing in his ears.

* * *

Sasuke watched as Genma dragged Naruto away from the field and threw the boy back up through the contestants' viewing area. Naruto landed on the wall behind Sasuke, his face sliding down the concrete.

"And for once you had a chance to look slightly impressive." Sasuke shook his head.

The other contestants laughed.

After several more minutes of pained groveling and moans, Naruto finally notice Sasuke.

"Teme!" The boy jumped up instantly. "I beat my first opponent! Get ready to kneel down and worship my feet when you go home crying to Sakura—wait. Where's Hinata-chan?"

Sasuke's jaw clenched at the Sakura comment, but he answered the question for his moronic friend.

"She'd down there, idiot. Your girlfriend's match is right after yours. Don't you remember?"

But Naruto was already by the metal railings, doing . . . was that a _Naruko_ _cheering squad_?

"Hina-Hina-Hina-chan! Go and kick that Neji's butt!" Each clone, thankfully clothed, shook their two pompoms in the air.

In the field, Hinata smiled weakly. Across the field, Neji glared, unimpressed—much as he was with anything.

The start of the fight was delayed due to several ladies' and noblemen's states of unconsciousness earlier, which was fine; the audience was still chatty about the summoning from before.

Sasuke thought Hinata as an okay enough fighter, really, but okay wouldn't beat Neji. The outcome of this match was more than certain. Naruto would just have to deal with his disappointment.

During the pause, Sasuke let his mind drift with the rumble of chitchat and, nearer to him, the cheering of Naruko/Naruto. He let his mind wonder as he closed his eyes in meditation (he would need the strength later).

For the first time in a long time Sasuke was daydreaming. Now that the Invasion was safely out of way, he dreamt about winning against every single opponent in his way, beating dead-last under the crowd's eye (make _Naruto_ worship his feet and cry back to Hinata), and accepting the Chuunin exam medal from the Third while everyone chanted his name. All this time underneath Sakura's admiring gaze . . .

Wait. Did he just . . . ?

_Erm . . ._

A flash of chakra passed behind him, before disappearing immediately, snuffed out like a candle. Sasuke followed it without a second thought, almost as if he was willing himself to be distracted. Because _god_ no, he was not going to finish that thought.

Shikamaru, who had been lying on the floor, watched Sasuke head for the exit without protest. Shino and Naruto's attention were on Hinata, and Temari outright ignored him.

He arrived at one of the outer balconies, and activated his Sharingan.

There was a huge mass of blue inside the stadium that indicated the population of cheering audience contained of civilians and ninjas alike. Sasuke ignored that and a few lounging Chuunin near the stadium, who were most likely taking this match to light a cigarette.

Only one signature was heading away from the others. Sasuke couldn't pinpoint the exact location, but he could guess the direction, and three steps right were all he needed to gain a view of his target.

Okay. So it was . . . a boy, about fourteen years old, with black hair and pale skin and a few swords and scrolls on his back.

Wait—

It was . . . Sai?

What was that bastard doing here? Sasuke's brows furrowed as he remembered his "bet" with Sakura those weeks before. After that day, he wasn't able to find Sai Uchiha anywhere. He looked _everywhere_—from the abandoned Uchiha district to individual training spots to even the men's bathe house—but his "sempai" was nowhere to be found.

Why show up now, then? Why avoid every single team meeting and choose to show up at the Chuunin Exams?

Sai turned to the exit and marched out the stadium. Sasuke's attention piqued. He stalked out the waiting room, preparing to follow Sai.

Behind him, the crowd gasped in shock, and Sasuke could hear Naruto shouting something. Momentarily distracted, the boy with no last time spared one glance back. But finding it impossible to see anything from his point of view, he shrugged. He leapt away in pursuit of Sai.

Inside the stadium, Hinata Hyuuga charged for Neji.

* * *

Sasuke followed Sai in silence for exactly eight minutes and twenty seconds . . .

. . . and what he found was disappointingly dull.

Sai did nothing but meander around Konoha's streets, strolling between grocery stores and dango places, which were all closed for the day due to the Chuunin Exam festivities.

And Sai just walked on, and on, and on, and on, to a point where Sasuke wondered if Sai was really paying attention to where he was going at all.

He sat on the roof of a restaurant, watching as Sai just . . . _walked_. Sasuke almost wanted to scream at the boy to hurry up and just do something already, because did Sai really just leave something as important as the Chuunin Exam finals to take a _stroll?_

Sai was still walking, and walking, and walking, and walking like that robot he was. His movements were oddly robotic too: his hands jerked at random moments and his toes caught onto pebbles too often for a shinobi. Sai looked like he was about to trip twice, both times steadying himself with a . . . stiffening of the spine? Was that what the pecking-like motion was about?

Strange.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, the Sharingan flashing.

Too strange.

He plucked out a kunai, spun it around his finger a few times, and let it fly.

Sai didn't even dodge.

The weapon dove in his flesh, and a nasty squelching sound was heard.

Then "Sai" liquefied into a puddle of ink.

Carefully, Sasuke scrutinized the area with his Sharingan. After making sure the real Sai was nowhere near, he hopped down from the building.

Sasuke stared down at the splotch of ink, but only his distorted reflection stared back, eyebrows furrowed and a small scowl in place.

An ink clone? Was that all there was to it? Then why—why could he sense _chakra_ in the ink?

Something shiny glinted in the sunlight. Sasuke blinked.

A single metal bead floated to the surface. And another. And another. Sasuke reached down to touch one of the beads and wasn't surprised by the slight warmth from contact. If he'd touched these beads when they were still filled with chakra, it would probably have stung.

Sasuke watched the fuzzy blue chakra fade from the puddle, and then deactivated his Sharingan.

So Sai had actually faked his own chakra signature by stashing his chakra inside those metal beads. Sasuke rolled the tiny bead in his hand, testing its weight and size.

"Why would Sai fake his own chakra signature?" he asked aloud.

It wasn't as if the boy had anything to hide . . . right?

Sasuke didn't believe Kakashi's words about Sai fully, but he doubted Kakashi, being one who valued comradeship so much, would hide anything serious from Sasuke.

A rustle of leaves to his left alerted him to a presence. He turned and hurled a kunai, but all it met was the bark of an old tree.

If possible, however, this roused Sasuke's suspicions even more.

Before the spying figure disappeared, he was sure he saw the white, porcelain mask: the symbol of the ANBU Black Ops.

* * *

When Sasuke arrived at the stadium, lungs burning at the speed of the run, two things came to his immediate attention:

One was the audience's utter silence; the place was as quiet as a grave.

The second was Naruto.

". . . HOW DARE YOU! ALL SHE WANTED WAS TO PROVE HER WORTH, AND YOU TREATED HER LIKE TRASH!"

Sasuke had never known Naruto to be so angry.

"Naruto, don't get so emotional. Hinata's—"

"SHUT THE HELL UP! GET RID OF THIS JUTSU, SHIKAMARU! I NEED TO GO BEAT THAT BASTARD UP! HE NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS IF HE HURTS HINATA AND I WILL SHOW HIM WHY! I WILL—"

Sasuke stepped into the room.

"Naruto."

Shikarmaru was holding Naruto still with a Shadow Possession Jutsu, and Naruto seemed to be trying to fight it, his body was trembling visibly. Right now both of them stared at Sasuke.

Naruto's pupils were tinged red.

"TEME!" he hollered. "GET SHIKAMARU TO LET ME GO! I NEED TO GO GET NEJI! I NEED TO TEACH HIM A LESSON! I NEED TO—"

"Get revenge. Naruto, we know!" A trickle of sweat slid down Shikamaru's forehead. "We know, Naruto! But fighting him now isn't going to help!"

"Naruto, I am Hinata's teammate." It was a boy with sunglasses and a high-collared jacket that spoke: Shino. "I understand how you feel, but think about this: How would Hinata feel if you get disqualified now? I feel your agitation also, and wish to release it upon that Neji in the form of one thousand swarming kikaichuus—" his hand fisted "—but Hinata would not wish us to lose ourselves because of her."

While Shino spoke, Sasuke walked over to the balcony. At the arena below stood Neji Hyuuga, watching Hinata rushed away in a stretcher. Three Jounin—Kakashi, Asuma, and Gai—stood around Neji, as if making sure he didn't try anything. As for Neji himself, his face was contorted in that one of hatred and even disgust.

Sasuke connected the clues.

He looked at Naruto again. The blond's eyes were no longer red, but the usual clear blue as he stared down at the floor in dejection, knowing he could do nothing else but wait for Hinata's sake. Sasuke stepped towards him and their eyes met.

"After the first round of the finals is over," Sasuke said, "your second round opponent will be the Hyuuga."

The flame in Naruto's orbs returned.

Sasuke nodded. "If you want your revenge then, take it."

_But you will regret it._

How hypocritical was it for Sasuke, of all people, to say that.

* * *

During Sasuke's fight, his thoughts returned to Sai.

Something didn't sit well with Sasuke, but he didn't know what. Logic rules that Sai did nothing wrong, was breaking no rule. If he had to stretch it, Sasuke would guess that Sai was testing out a new jutsu . . . for some evil means.

At that point, a swarm of beetles barely grazed his ankle. Sasuke had to annihilate them with a fireball.

He was being too judgmental. Sai could do whatever the hell he wanted to; Sasuke wasn't his _mother_.

Why should he care what Sai did?

With that angry thought, Sasuke formed the seals for one last attack.

The fire that followed engulfed the entire arena, and he was quick to be declared victor afterwards.

"My skills must need nurturing, it seems, if I cannot even defeat a fellow Genin who isn't even using half his strength." Shino pushed up his glasses. He wasn't hurt much due to his insects' protection, but the fire still rendered him unable to fight the moment he was disarmed by Sasuke.

Around them, Chuunins extinguished the flaming trees with water jutsus.

"I didn't—"

Shino shook his head. "There is no need for explanations, Sasuke-san. You were—and still are—worried for Naruto-san's sake, I can tell. But I wasn't able to beat you even in your distracted state." He turned around, heading for the stadium stairs. "You truly are a noteworthy opponent. I hope, the next time we cross blades, I can still call myself your equal."

And then Shino left, but not before whispering the words "I've always wanted to say that." Sasuke, with his Sharingan still on, was able to understand it.

He sweat-dropped.

* * *

Sasuke's memories were vague, but he could dimly remember Naruto once ranting to him about the Shikamaru-Temari match.

His only thought on it at the time was _So the lazy bastard forfeited to a girl_, and if his memory served, this would be the time that Shikamaru would throw away his victory.

The two figures below were drawing close; Shikamaru walked calmly forward, as did Temari, who was bound in the Shadow Possession Jutsu.

The atmosphere was charged with anticipation and excitement. This was it. At the start of the fight, no one had betted for that lazy Nara; he simply acted way too much like a pushover with his lazy gait. But now, after finally catching Temari with the multiple punctures Tenten had made on the ground, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that it was Shikamaru who would emerge as victor.

Slowly, slowly, the boy raised his arm in the air—what was he going to do? Did he have a weapon in that hand? A secret jutsu? Another ingenious plan?—and, with his face as apathetic as ever, he opened his mouth to say—

"I forfeit."

The crowd gasped in surprise. Sasuke stared at the field, shocked.

Because it wasn't Shikamaru who'd spoken . . .

It was . . . Temari.

The connecting shadows on the ground retracted to Shikamaru's body, signaling the end of the possession jutsu, but the brunet's glare never left his opponent, even after Genma's announcement of his victory.

_Why did you forfeit?_ Shikamaru seemed to ask.

Meanwhile, Sasuke let out a breath. Well, that was surprising—but maybe things happened differently in this time-skip? Did Temari become less confident with herself, and resigned because she thought she was going to lose anyway?

He shook away the thoughts. He was overanalyzing things again. If it was anyone one else who had been put in that position, he would probably forfeit too for pride's sake. A shinobi must know when to give up, when to minimize the damage. Temari didn't know Shikamaru was going to forfeit. Maybe . . . maybe the Temari this time was less stubborn than the last.

Sasuke crossed his arms. So it was Shikamaru he was going to face next?

_Even better, then._

He smirked.

Shikamaru was his primary opponent before the unexpected change. Sasuke was more than ready for the Nara's tactics, despite what he told Sakura earlier.

But right now . . .

"Hn." Sasuke tilted his head to the boy beside him.

Naruto's body was quivering with anticipation and rage. He was facing Neji, glowering at the boy all the way through Shikamaru's match.

After Neji politely clapped for Shikamaru's victory along with the audience, he finally looked up. His eyes met Naruto's and Naruto tensed, like a cat ready to strike.

"And now we will enter the semi-final rounds!" the Third Hokage announced from the top.

The crowd's cheer did nothing to diminish the tension in the room, which now contained only Sasuke and the two other boys.

"Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji! Get down for your match!" Genma shouted.

From the wall he was leaning against, Neji stood up and exited without batting Naruto another eye.

Seeing his teammate's hand clench and unclench, Sasuke put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Control the Fox," Sasuke warned. "Don't do anything rash."

He hesitated.

_Don't lose yourself over revenge. It's not worth it._

Naruto nodded, whether or not he sensed his friend's unsaid words. With that, he hopped over the metal rails, running down cement walls with expertly controlled chakra, and then landed on the ground with nothing more than a puff.

* * *

"So you have beaten Tenten," Neji said, his arms bent into the famous Gentle Fist stance. "I'm surprised. She should be stronger than you."

"And you're the jerk who hurt Hinata," spat Naruto. Anger, as if materializing, boiled the air.

Neji's contempt was clear in his expression. "She's weak. She doesn't deserve to be the heiress of the Hyuugas."

"Hinata has a stronger heart than you will ever have! Her determination is ten times greater than your genius!"

"You speak as if you know what it means to be a Hyuuga! A dropout like you will never understand!"

Genma cut in, "Oi. You two done here? Ready to actually fight?"

Neji scoffed, Naruto glared, and the watching hundreds held their breath in anticipation. All were wondering the same thing: Would the Hyuuga genius or the boy with his toad summon win this match?

"Begin."

* * *

**A/N:** To. Be. Edited. Sorry. :(


	18. Listen for the Sound

**.oturaN nwo I :remialcsiD  
(But since it's backwards, it means the opposite thing. :D)**

**A/N:** I rushed the last piece of this chapter by using "blind writing" . . . aka un-edited writing.

I think the updates for this story is going very irregular . . . it doesn't help that my computer crashed (four times, amazingly), school has started, and homework is piling up more than ever.

* * *

18. Reaching for the Crown, Listen for the Sound

"You have no right to bring me here, Morino-san."

In the chamber, water droplets dripped down from a crack overhead: _drip, drip, drop_.

Ibiki raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why not?"

The boy lifted his head. And smiled.

"This place is for outlaws, S-ranked criminals, and other Leaf prisoners. I, on the other hand, am a thirteen year old boy, a legitimate Chuunin of this village. I have done nothing—"

"I dare you to complete that sentence," Ibiki said calmly.

By the wavering candlelight, his scars seemed to twist the features of Ibiki Morino in a sinister way.

The accused shinobi paused at this, though his smile never left.

Ibiki smirked, a smirk as fake as his opponent's smile.

"Do you know why you're here? Oh, no—of course not. Why, you seem to be thinking, have the ANBUs snatched you from the middle of the streets, when you have told Kakashi of your attendance to the Chuunin Exams? Why, you seem to be asking, have they taken you to me, top interrogator, of all people when you could've been dealt by some other smallfry? Why, you seem to want to know, have they now changed their minds about your punishment, and intend on pressing charges of you _betraying Konohagakure instead?_"

Silence: the boy did not know of the last statement, and Ibiki knew this.

"Don't play adult with me, boy!" the interrogator snarled, slamming a fist on the desk. From his coat pocket, he took out three folders' worth of documents and slapped them onto the steel table. Papers fanned out, showing pictures of documents, coded shinobi messages, and faces of enemy ninjas.

On one page was a photo of a smiling, amiable-looking young man with glasses: Kabuto Yakushi.

In a quieter tone, Ibiki continued.

"Do you know what this? This, everything here, is the information we have ferreted out of multiple Sound captives here and from people inside and outside the villages. Now we know every single one of your little secrets—and you sure have a lot of them." Scars tightened and contracted when the man grinned: a startling grotesque picture. "You seem to go around a lot for a thirteen year old, don't you? Hm? What, no words? Treason, you know, is punishable by death, and running off with snakes like _Orochimaru_ certainly qualifies as treason."

The boy remained silent.

Ibiki knew he succeeded, so he pulled out one last card.

He leaned forward, his face inches away from the captive's.

"But perhaps this is unavoidable . . ." he whispered softly, "perhaps this is something that runs in the blood."

On the convict's neck, a vein pounded.

Ah, a reaction.

"After all, Uchiha Sai . . . you _are_ Itachi's brother."

"Shut the hell up."

Ibiki crossed his arms, nonchalant. "I'm sorry, what is it?"

Sai's face was contorted with anger. The black markings on his neck began to pulse.

"Don't compare me to that scum. You don't understand anything. You don't know me. So SHUT. THE. HELL. UP—AHHH!" The agitated speech was cut off with a pained shout.

Electricity crackled around the seal Kakashi had imprinted around the Curse Mark. Sai's eyes went wide for a second, pupils dilating—then his body went limp and he fell forward, unconscious.

The room was silent again save for the leaking ceiling overhead. Ibiki spared a glance upon Sai's still form before he stood up and left the building.

On his way to call a medic, he roof-hopped for the nin-animal center.

Hatake would have to be informed of this.

* * *

**~.*.~**

* * *

The fight started out very badly for Naruto.

None of his clones could touch Neji; they all seemed to disappear instantly upon the Hyuuga's fingers. The most Naruto managed was a punch in the jerk's face . . . and then Neji took that chance to cut off all of his chakra supplies.

Then he remembered what Sasuke said.

"_Control the Fox_," Naruto mimicked Sasuke tone, rolling his eyes. "_Don't do anything rash_." He picked himself off the ground, wiping away blood from his mouth. "Geez, you'd think that guy is my mother. . . . I don't need your nagging, bastard! I'm number one ninja, an apprentice of Pervy Sage—I can handle myself just fine!"

"Talking to yourself?" Neji smirked. "Finally realized how pitiful your attempt at victory is? Once a failure, always a failure. Someone like you can never achieve _anything_!"

Naruto rolled back his sleeves. "'Failure,' huh . . . ? Wasn't that what you called Hinata-chan too? Don't you have anything else to rant about?"

Neji gritted his teeth. "Fine. You wish to defy fate? I will show you the futileness of your efforts. From this point on," he grasped the hitai-ate on the ground and wrapped it over his forehead, "I will fight you with all my strength. Only then will you understand this lesson . . ."

"Strange. I was just about to say the same thing (except with less confusing words and stuff . . .)!" Naruto's hand closed, reaching for the Nine-Tail's chakra.

"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" he shouted.

"Eight Trigram Palms: Heavenly Spin!"

Blue and red clashed.

* * *

Naruto burst from the ground, his right hook catching Neji's chin. Neji flew off the ground then landed with a heavy thud. His eyes were wide with surprise. Hadn't Naruto—? Didn't Naruto—? Why wasn't he—?

He blinked once.

"A clone," Neji rasped out. His body was paralyzed from the lack of chakra. "Should've known, shouldn't I? It's your specialty after all."

Naruto's face came in view, blocking out the sun.

"Back when I was in the Academy," he whispered, "there was one jutsu that always got me no matter how hard I tried. It was the Clone Jutsu."

Neji looked away. He didn't want to hear whatever Naruto had to say next.

Fate—fate had failed him. The dropout had defeated the genius . . . how could that be? Fate had determined that Naruto would lose against Neji. There was never anyone who bested a genius by _determination_. It was the law of the world. How could Naruto just go around and break it? It wasn't right.

Neji felt like he didn't understand anything anymore.

"You hurt Hinata," Naruto said quietly, though the place was so silent Neji wouldn't be surprised if everyone heard. "You hurt Hinata, and it wasn't just because of a match to see who's stronger. You hurt Hinata because of what she said, what her ideals are. You hurt Hinata because what she said about determination scared you. Her determination when she fought you . . . it wasn't because you're branch and she's main. She only wished to be acknowledged. But then you trample over her ideals like it was nothing, like she was a trash and nobody. You hurt her to prove something to yourself, and I realized what it is now." Blue eyes blazed with anger. "You hurt Hinata because you saw her as your uncle, the uncle who let your father die. You're angry at your uncle and always hide your anger, but when you see him through Hinata you lash out at her."

_Don't try to understand me!_ Neji wanted to snap, but he couldn't find his voice.

"When I came here, I wanted to beat you to get revenge for Hinata." Naruto looked up to the sky and smiled. "But then I realized . . . Hinata-chan—she—I—Shino was right. Hinata-chan won't want me to get revenge for her. I've only begun to know her, and there is much for me to understand about HInata . . . but this one thing I'm certain.

"Neji, you're her cousin. Whatever you said about the main family and the branch family, you're still _family_. I _know_ what you said about the branch house and main house, but right now all you're doing is letting them taking over _your_ fate, _your_ destiny—and you're not doing anything to fight back."

"Don't you see though?" Naruto asked, his tone indicating sadness and even pity. "The caged bird cannot fly like the free bird does, but it can still sing, and hope, of freedom—and when the cage rots and wears out, the caged bird will be the one that flies away."

Neji didn't speak.

After that brief moment of seriousness came the crowd's deafening roar of cheers. Naruto grinned and ran around the arena, blowing fly-kisses to everyone.

Genma strolled forward to Neji, who snapped irritably, "What is it? Do you wish to mock me? Are you going to say something deep and meaningful that's supposed to change my ideals?"

But Genma smirked.

Over the thousands' voices, it was still possible to hear his next words:

"Nope. I just want you to listen . . . to what that brat said."

* * *

"Wow, that Naruto . . . He sure is lucky, isn't he?" Ino stared at Naruto, who was currently prancing about. "To think, he would be able to beat _Hyuuga Neji_ of all people. . . ."

"Luck has nothing to do with it," Sakura said softly. Then he turned to Ino with a wide smile. "My team is just _that_ good."

Ino blew a strand of hair out of her face and grinned.

"Oh, yeah? Is that a challenge, dear friend of mine?"

"Nope. I don't need to challenge you. This round, I bet Sasuke will beat Shikamaru within five minutes!"

("There they go again . . ." Kiba sighed.

Shino nodded. "I see what you mean. Is your team always like this, Chouji?"

"No—" munch, munch "—it's only when Ino meets Sakura. Then she gets all riled up."

"Most interesting behavior. I've always found humans a fascinating study besides insects."

"I think it's called 'rivalry,' Shino. . . .")

Electricity crackled between their eyes.

"That pretty boy will be too busy grooming his nails to do anything!" Ino said.

"That lazy bum will be too busy doing _nothing_ to do anything!" Sakura snapped back.

"My Shika's got ten times the smartness than him!"

"_My_ Sasuke's got ten times the skill than Shikamaru!"

"Don't underestimate him! Shikamaru may seem lazier than a sloth, but when that lazy bum gets serious—"

"Well, don't you underestimate Sasuke either! He may seem like a pretty boy, but he was the one who took down Yellow-Eye-Creepy-Man in the Forest." Sakura paused. Yellow-Eye-Creepy-Man? Naruto's habits were rubbing off her. "I mean—that snake guy!"

"So? Well Shikamaru is—" Ino paused mid-rant. "Creepy snake guy? I—Sai . . ."

Hearing the word "Sai," Sakura looked away from Ino: Sakura didn't see her friend's sudden pause and glassy eyes.

Looking at the interactions and team dynamics between Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru, Sakura knew Team 10 was nothing like her team, where Naruto and Sasuke constantly tried to claw each other's eyes out while she and Kakashi acted as peacemakers. Or something like that. Kakashi rarely did anything but porn-reading, and Sakura was never the one with words.

But then . . .

_What about Sai?_

Where did he fit in their team?

He wasn't there when they did most of their missions, wasn't there when Naruto, Sasuke, and she endured the Forest of Death, wasn't there when they confronted the snake man. And, what she saw in that training ground—

Her breath hitched. Her hands shook. She couldn't bear to think of that encounter. Her mind mentally rejected the thought, deeming it impossible.

Sakura remembered her promise to Ino, about telling her of Sai's whereabouts if he was seen, but . . .

The sinister aura . . . the fiendish ink summon . . . the _laugh_—

That couldn't possibly have been him, could it? That couldn't possibly have been Sai-kun, her Sai-kun. Because the Sai she knew was not a monster. The Sai she knew was not a demon. The Sai she knew was—was—

And, for the very first time, Sakura realized that . . .

Perhaps she never knew Sai at all.

Sakura's thoughts came back to earth when, beside her, Ino suddenly fell off from her seat.

"Ugh!"

Ino clenched her head, her face twisted with pain.

"Ino!" Sakura dropped on the floor beside her friend. Her friend's behavior was scaring her. "Are you okay? What's . . ."

"I—I—" The girl's lungs were heaving from pain. "I—l-letter—and Hokage Monument—S-Sai—Sai—Sai—snakes—AH!"

"Ino . . . ? Ino!" Sakura shouted. "Ino—what is it? Where does it hurt?"

Ino's eyes fluttered close.

"Ino?" The bag of potato chip was abandoned, and Chouji jumped to his teammate's side. Kiba and Shino followed suit.

This was causing a commotion. Like ripples in a lake, people tore their eyes away from the start of the Nara-Sasuke round.

"What's happening . . . ?"

"Oh gods. That little girl—"

"Has she fainted?"

"Is she alright?"

"What's—"

"Excuse me. Let me through, please." A masked ANBU sifted through the rows. To the audience members, he shouted, "Please enjoy the ongoing fight! This girl will be fine! There is nothing to worry about."

As people slowly turned their heads away, the ANBU knelt down beside the fallen Ino, who was currently shivering uncontrollably as if experiencing a nightmare or a genjutsu.

"Please step back. I know you all are concerned, but I am here to help," the ANBU said firmly.

Chouji, Shino, and Kiba reluctantly obeyed, eyeing the stranger's mask almost for reassurance. Chouji, being Ino's teammate, kneeled down to the ground.

"Is she going to be okay?" he asked. "What are you going to do?"

The ANBU tugged his hood a little closer.

"She will be fine," he said. His fingers closed into a few quick seals.

"Who are you?" Sakura couldn't help but ask. Strangely, she had a feeling that she ought to know this person. There was something about his voice . . .

The man's hands glowed green, and he placed them on Ino's forehead.

"A medic," he said simply.

* * *

"_You better advance, bastard! Or else I can't beat you in front of everyone, dattebayo!"_

A strong gust had been whipped up as the sun crawled down the sky. It was mid-afternoon now, with the weather just beginning to cool—but more importantly, it was when the shadows would begin to lengthen.

So far Shikamaru had tried various tests of his Shadow Possession technique, trying to get Sasuke through the shadows of the walls and a few scattered kunais. None of them were able to touch Sasuke.

When the fifth shadow came, Sasuke tried to intimidate Shikamaru.

"I know you're trying to trap me by connecting the hole Naruto popped out with your shadow. That's not gonna work," Sasuke said, stepping aside. The distance was just so that he could remain untouchable by the jutsu.

Sasuke was waiting for the right moment. Throwing weapons at random would be a waste of time if he had no plan, and if he wasn't careful, his fire jutsus would stretch the shadows of objects. Like Temari, he drew a safety line where the shadow stopped: the space where the Possession Technique could not reach.

He tried taunting next.

"I know all of your tricks, Shikamaru," said Sasuke, "and while you know a few other basic techniques, the one jutsu you always rely on is the Shadow Possession Technique."

Shikamaru raised a bored eyebrow, as if to say, _No duh_.

That failed too.

Sasuke was disappointed that nothing fazed Shikamaru, but it was to be expected.

_Guess it's time to be serious, isn't it?_ he thought, a small smirk forming at his lips.

Sasuke's hands flew into a flurry of seals.

A simple jutsu would be enough.

"Miracle Illusions: Bending Reality," he whispered, before looking straight into Shikamaru's eyes.

Shikamaru's pupils dilated slightly, telling Sasuke that the genjutsu had done its trick.

Shikamaru then frowned and turned his head right, as if he was seeing something that wasn't there. Sasuke smirked. To think the son of the master strategist would fall for such a simple trick.

But what Sasuke didn't saw was how the Nara hid a small smile of his own.

Sasuke ran to Shikamaru while his hands knitted into a few seals. The members of the audience craned their necks for a better look, wondering why that Shikamaru Nara wasn't using his Shadow Possession Technique.

The last seal done, Sasuke sprinted the whole distance between him and Shikamaru. He held his right arm down and felt a familiar tingle in his palm.

A second later, white-blue lightning cackled into life and a thousand birds seemed to screech through the air.

Then, at that exact moment:

_A flare—chakra, so malicious and familiar, yet so disgusting and strange. His skin crawled and his heart raced and fear spiked through veins._

The Chidori in his hand fizzled out.

* * *

If Sasuke had the time to stop and look then, he would realize how there were several things going on among the shinobi in the audience.

The Third Hokage's smile never wavered, but at the exact second Sasuke sensed the chakra signature, he whispered to one of his two body guards. The woman paled visibly. After her bow, her body flickered and disappeared without a word.

Several of the more senior ninjas in the crowd started, and were asked by their oblivious friends, What was wrong? Some of them would stutter and shake off the feeling as one of the many hallucinations that hunted them ever since the Third Ninja War; others would rush to the nearest ANBU member, only to be told that the Hokage had ordered them to stay calm. Mass hysteria wasn't something they wanted with a mass crowd of civilians.

If Sasuke had the time to stop and look then, he would have noticed the sudden, subtle shift in the atmosphere. Perhaps he would've seen a few shinobi, the ones who had looked too closely to the ANBUs' eyes, vanish with a cloud of smoke along with the ANBUs themselves.

But he didn't. Before any additional thought could be processed through this mind, Shikamaru, who had only pretended to be trapped into Sasuke's genjutsu, took his temporary pause as an opportunity to counter attack.

On the ground, the shadow lunged for its master's opponent.

Sasuke's attention snapped back to the present. Automatically, he jumped away from the shadow and raced for the imaginary safety line near the center of the field.

Any thoughts about the mysterious chakra signature was thrown out of his mind.

But the shadow veered a clean right, choosing instead to trace through the crater Sasuke had made with his Chidori. The shadow along the edges of the crater gave Shikamaru a highway for his jutsu, and Sasuke found himself ducking left and right, the shadow snaking its way to his feet fast. The safety line was of no use now.

When he finally did find a safe spot to stand, it was on the other side of the field, almost near the trees. Sasuke let his breath slow down, and watched as Shikamaru did the same. They were both drained of energy, it seemed.

Sasuke did not have half the chakra needed for the powerful Lightning Blade: the one he'd used before he let himself get distracted. He needed a one-shot-kill, a sure way to win the match . . . The only choice left was a Fireball.

As a small wind rustled the tree branches, Shikamaru immediately activated his Shadow Possession Jutsu once more. Like before, the shadow zigzagged underneath the shadows of scattered weapons and Chidori's ridges. But how pointless was that? It couldn't even reach—

The shadow whipped around and charged for him.

Sasuke's eyes widened. How did it—?

Behind him, the sun dipped a fraction lower into the horizon of Konoha.

He sidestepped, turned, and jumped. But the shadow pursued on, without a single inclination of stopping.

Why—?

Then Sasuke saw the flying leaves over his head, held aloft by the soft blowing winds.

One drifted over his shoulder.

Too late, Sasuke's foot stepped on the ground. The shadow contacted the leaf's shadow, veered left, and captured Sasuke.

His body was utterly paralyzed. He had fallen into Shikamaru's trap.

* * *

_Rustle, rustle._

It sounded as if the trees were laughing at his ignorance.

"Finally," Shikamaru's bored voice cut through the silence that had followed the success of his jutsu. He stood up from the shadows, his hands disentangling themselves. He walked to the center of the field with ease, as if he hadn't just defeated one of the best rookies in Konoha.

Sasuke was forced to follow his movements.

The audience was held captive by the same sort of excitement in the previous Shikamaru match. They finally got to see the unfinished Nara trump card, which had been so unfortunately interrupted by Temari's forfeit.

Sasuke was still struggling, vainly, against the shadow that bound him to Shikamaru's movements. But it was impossible. Nothing less than sheer, brutal strength—something Sasuke did not have at the moment—could break through the Possession Technique.

Each step toward the center of the field felt like another step closer to the gallows, towards his complete defeat. . . .

Shikamaru opened his mouth. Sasuke closed his eyes so he didn't have to see the crowd's reactions, at the very least.

He felt his arm forced to rise against his will.

"And now—"

Could he still become Chuunin at this rate?

"—I can—"

What would Naruto say?

"—finally—"

What would Sakura _think_?

"—forfeit," Shikamaru said.

It took Sasuke, as well as the audience members, a few seconds to understand Shikamaru's words.

"WHAT?" seemed to vibrate through the village. Even Genma, the judge, was confused.

"You gonna . . . forfeit, Shikamaru?" Genma asked. "You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Shikamaru sighed.

Sasuke felt the Possession jutsu retreat from his own shadow: he could move his hand again. Shikamaru stuffed his hands back into his pockets.

"But I was already in—" began Sasuke.

"And I ran out of chakra—couldn't have lasted five more seconds if I tried. And that's mostly because you, Sasuke, keep on pressing me with that fire spit jutsu of yours at the beginning." Seeing their dubious faces, Shikamaru sighed. "Come on. . . . Haven't you _ever_ wondered why I like the Shadow Possession Technique so much, if you claim to know so much about me? I like it because it saves energy. Thought I would pass out just from all that running away from the flames—that was even worse than all the laps Iruka-sensei had us do in the Academy." He sighed again. "How troublesome."

When Shikamaru was declared winner ultimately, the people in the audience, though confused, cheered loudly for Sasuke With-No-Last-Name as the winner of the second and last semi-finals.

* * *

It took Sasuke make fights, many near-loses, to get here.

He would admit now that he hadn't tried his exact best against Sakura in the preliminaries, and it was only by her letting him win that he was able to pass (Sasuke remember the taste of the dog urine).

He would also admit that he had underestimated Shikamaru, and that too had almost cost him the match. If he hadn't been so arrogant and finished Shikamaru off quickly at the beginning, instead of showing off his Phoenix Fire Technique, it would've been a sure step to victory.

But he would not let anything deter him now. This very last match was against Naruto, to whom he wanted to fight more than anyone else.

It was . . . unfinished business, he guessed it could be said.

Even in the past life, they never got to see who was stronger in the end.

It would all come down to this.

"Intermission is now over!" Genma shouted. "Everyone, please return to your seats! The finals will be on shortly!"

Fathers ushered their children back to their seats. The salespeople packed their merchandises and people stopped speaking at once. An expectant hush blanketed the entire arena.

Emotions were boiling high.

Naruto and Sasuke walked into the fighting field from opposite sides, a design made to add dramatic effect. A wave of applause came and went quickly, almost as if everyone was too impatient to clap.

They stood from each other, thirty feet apart. Sasuke suddenly wished he could see Sakura's face, just to see if she was cheering for him. . . .

He combed his hair back and retied his forehead protector. The swirling symbol of Leaf shined against the sunlight.

He smiled.

Similarly, Naruto grinned in anticipation for what was to come.

There were no words. They communicated through fists.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up from the Kage balcony to give one last speech:

"Now, Konohagakure present the final two contestants of this year's Chuunin Exam finals! Let the match, Uzumaki Naruto versus U—"

He never got to finish the last sentence.

Behind him, a female ANBU wrapped her arm around the Third, forcing the old man into a headlock with a kunai at his throat.

Before the crowd could realize what was going on, there came a popping noise from the Konoha forest outskirts, followed by a whistle. It was the sound of fireworks or, more importantly, a signal flare.

The thin column of smoke shot straight up, gaining altitude; and mesmerized, all eyes followed the flare: rising, rising, rising—

It exploded, showering the sky with blood-red sparks.


	19. The God Who Is Mortal

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! Yo.**

**A/R (for "author's rant"):** Okay. Now, about the story. Some of you will probably be . . . disappointed by this chapter. Very disappointed. But just let me say: look underneath the underneath. There's a method to my madness.

Or something like that.

Now, I know I haven't been a very responsible writer lately, going on hiatus every two weeks and rarely replying to reviews. (Computer failure is a biatch. :P) But I just want to say, thank you everyone who has ever read _Sasuke, Not Uchiha_. The senior readers, thanks for sticking with me, and the new people, welcome!

I especially want to thank the following people:

**Naiya12**, for all your wonderful reviews all these chapters. **Seirei Ryuu**, for your advice on the parentheses (big thanks!). **ZeldaLove Akira-Chan**, for your encouragement (am not worthy -bows-). **Princess Ren**, for your long, thoughtful comments on the story. **Tukiko K**, for your critiques (POV—noted). **LaughsRFun**, for staying with SNU when it was still budding. **A Girl Named Blessed**, for your enthusiasm with SNU. **GinsengH**, for your absolute honesty with the Voice.** Lilac Rose6** and **cherrypinkblossom**, for clicking on SNU and leaving a review on December 20, 2011. And to **Belen the Bard**, for being SNU's first reviewer. :)

Other thanks go to **DanaBlood**, **Tigerfighter98**, **xCrushxChanx18**, **Dawnaven**, **Chantrea Moonbeam**, **HikaruUchia aka THEUCHIAHOKAGE**, **Will Heins**, **Xivy**, **alphaladywolf**, **Aristocrate**, **cloystreng**, **AsianGirl101**, **dorkykorean**, **Kamikashi**, **Fallen Dragonfly**, **StellaMarris**, **ShadowBunni**, **ShikaIno4Evez**, **BadassAlec**, **EmoSakura95**, **Mokimoki-chan**, , **Venus Star2-com**, **Grazing on the Arabesque**, **Lissie Lupin**, **GalanthaDreams**, **Mistress of Murder Rin-sama**, **wickedthunder02**, **mednin**, **Maia Ronan**, **benhorse**, **Orijinaru** **Al**, **Sibrael**, **mistressinwaiting**, **nuit*nothing**, **yukishakura**, **Sariko-chan723**, **Gasanechi**, **tenshii1001**,** Seisui Luminarywalker**, **Kaelin The Black Swan**, **Inuyonas**, **ChaoticSerenity10**, **Juniper11**, **crazymel2008**, **kattylin**, **chaos-bardock**, **TroubledFred**, **anundecidedteen**, **Lila Mizuki Pegasus**, **x . Sasu . Saku . x**, **iLovelyJulz**, **XIIIth Antagonist**, **sasorilover7**, **easily1994addicted**, **kawaiisasusaku**, **WhatChuuKnowBoutMe**, **KonohaOrangeHokage**, **Gazing on the Arabesque**, **damitachissexy**, **Amaterasu-hime**, **FreedomIsPirateKey**, **x Dark Sin x**, **pirateKitten11893**, **WrongTimeForDreaming**, **Parpallee**, **MaxFlyFan**, **shin no juria**, **Krasic**, **daisherz365**, **Maxium**, **PencilandKeyboard**, **Huitt1989**, and **clafrehippie**; and anonymous reviewers **[blank]** (sorry, I don't know what to call you), **BriBri**, **emmarick**, **asdf**, **Sel**, **Audrey**, and **To mlk a freedom fighter**/**and a happy new year**/**merry xmas**. Thank you all for telling me what you think of this story. Your reviews are—though it's clichéd to say it—my inspiration.

We still have a long way to go. Hope to see you guys at the end of the ride still!

:D

* * *

**Invasion of Konoha Arc**

* * *

19. The God Who Is Mortal

As the rest of the population fell prey to the Feather Illusion Genjutsu, ninjas jumped out of their guise of civilian clothes. Shadows could be seen whizzing across the stadium with the accompanying sound of metal clashes whenever two figures came in contact.

On top of the main audience seats, where the important daimyos and ladies sat, a purple force field sprung from the building's tiled roof.

At the far east, where the Konohan forest stretched into the horizon, two loud _poof_s were heard. This was followed by two heavy thumps and shudders of the earth. When the smoke cleared, the distinct shapes of a giant snake and a giant toad appeared above the greens of trees.

Metal clangs resonated through the air. Hollers of ninja techniques were mixed with the occasional screams of last, dying agony. Men and women fought blindly against each other, for their villages, for their selves.

This was the Invasion of Konoha.

Through the rows of blissfully unconscious civilians, bloody bodies, and fighting shinobi that filled the stadium, there was one boy missing. One boy who, even with his best efforts, could not stopped this mass murder—could not fulfill his rightful duty as the one-who-should-have-prevented-all.

_Useless. Useless. Useless._

Faster than the Sound and Sand ninjas, Sasuke had escaped the arena, dashing through the forest at breakneck pace.

* * *

_Voice_, he called.

No answer.

_Voice._ There was nothing.

_Voice! I know you are in there. Get the hell out. I need to talk to you!_

Then it came:

_Hm? Long time no see, Sasuke-sama. Do you still_ remember _me? Not_ forgetting _anything lately, are you?_

Sasuke's jaw clenched. He jumped to another tree's branch and stopped there. He closed his eyes to maximize his concentration for this conversation.

_Cut the crap, Voice. I don't have time for this,_ he told it.

_Really. I wonder what took you so long to call upon me again. And—aaah. This is the Invasion of Konoha, isn't it? That would explain a lot._

_Shut it._

_So you were unable to stop it after all? Tut-tut. Pity, pity, pity. Even with second chances, you are unable to stop what needs to be stopped. Even with second chances._

_Voice—_

_You never were really good at things when they actually mattered._

_I—_he started but was cut off again.

_What will happen now? What happens when plans fail? How can you save your friends from certain deaths? _It began to, of all things, sing._ How can you, how can you, how can you, how can you—_

"JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I'LL GIVE YOU YOUR PAIN FOR PAYMENT, OR WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT. _JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO!_"

For a second, the Voice did not speak, and Sasuke was afraid it had disappeared again.

_Excuse me?_ it asked icily._ Why do you think, under any circumstances, will I help you?_

Sasuke had figured it out long ago.

"Because you need the payment, and I can't give it if I'm—"

_Stupid, foolish boy. Do you really think you can't feel pain and die at the same time? If I kill your friends, you won't feel pain? Do you honestly think I care for your bunch and won't immediately kill you after I get my payment?_

His thoughts faltered.

"But you . . . you helped me before—Land of Waves!" he blurted out. "What about the Land of Waves? Why did you help me then? And the Chuunin Exams?"

Sasuke didn't know why he blurted that all out, why he was so convinced of believing the Voice as an ally rather than . . . the unthinkable alternative.

The silence dragged on for ten seconds, thirty seconds, one minute, five minutes. But what Sasuke had hoped as an uncertain pause was broken when the Voice began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Sasuke demanded. "Voice, answer me! _Voice!_"

_It's funny. Very funny,_ it said. _It's funny how you can get everything so, so very wrong._

As it chuckled, the Voice changed. The voice of a middle-aged man turned into something deeper, darker, and more familiar than ever . . .

"Wha—"

_Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. You are too arrogant, to think you can bypass the rules. Too trusting, for following a stranger's advice. Too naïve, for believing me. Are you truly that hopeless? Don't you know of my powers at all? Haven't you witnessed what I can do?_

Somewhere in the village, a particularly loud explosion rumbled Konoha. Its force sent Sasuke to his knees. He held onto a tree for balance.

"What are you talking about?"

It laughed again.

_I have given you so many hints, Sasuke, whether it was my intention or not. So many hints. But you still remain oblivious to who I am. Really now, I thought you would be a little smarter than _that_._

The last phrase rang a bell in Sasuke's head. He struggled to remember where he had heard it.

_Your memory losses seem to come at the most inconvenient of times,_ the Voice observed. _Why, to think Zabuza's sword would cause you to forget even _me_._

He started, "I don't—" _know you?_

Sasuke's head began to hurt, and a sudden fear gripped him. _Fight back!_ he shouted at himself. Then he struggled to remember why this was a bad thing. Why a headache would mean something horrible.

The Voice was still talking to him, but Sasuke couldn't hear it clearly, or even make sense of what he had heard before. His mind was becoming muddier . . .

_Pityful_, the Voice spat in disgust. _Very well then. Let me show you._

Before he knew it, darkness swam before his eyes. He had only a moment to gasp out in shock and pain before his brain shut down.

* * *

**~.*.~**

* * *

Sasuke was in Konoha.

At least, he thought he was.

There were the five Kages' faces to the far right, though it was barely recognizable from all the cracks and missing chucks of rock from the once-awe-inspiring sculptures. There were no buildings around him either, only what seemed like destroyed tents and fire, fire everywhere.

People were there too: lying on the ground, groaning and bleeding from nasty wounds or not moving at all. Dead. Sasuke supposed that the place should have reeked of blood and death too, only he realized he couldn't smell anything at all.

He had a second to take the entire scene in before two figures emerged from the woods.

They were Sakura and Naruto, he recognized at first sight. Pink and yellow, red and orange. Sasuke wanted to cry with relief—he didn't understand what was going around in Konoha, but at least his friends were with him.

Yet . . . something was different about them.

Then his slow brain realized: They were older. At least seventeen-years-old, both of them, with dirty, battered clothes and sad, hollow eyes.

Shocked, he looked around again and saw everything in a different light. The dead bodies were not random corpses but defeated shinobi soldiers. The demolished remains of tents were once Konoha base camp of the Allied Shinobi Forces. And Sakura and Naruto . . . they were the only survivors.

This was Konoha's last stand, the moments right before the end of their—Sakura's, Naruto's, and Sasuke's—lives. The Voice had transported him back to his last life.

Sasuke wanted to scream at Sakura and Naruto—_It's a trap! _I've_ led you into a trap!_—but found that he couldn't move. When he looked down, he saw nothing but the dry, blood-caked ground.

He didn't have a body either.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, taking an exhausted step forward. "Sasuke! Dammit. Where did he go . . . ?"

Sakura cupped her hands around her mouth. "Sasuke! Where are you? I—" She paused, taking a deep, shuddering breath in.

_I'm here!_ he screamed without a voice. _I'm here! I'm here!_

If only he really were there, in mind and body. If only the past him had known what would happen, when the same him had been separated by the Kabuto-controlled Itachi. If only he could stop this.

He watched, helpless, as the shadow of Madara materialized beside Naruto and Sakura. He watched as the Kusanagi was thrust through both of their hearts, them falling to the ground, dead. He watched as the seventeen-year-old him burst out of the woods, hands reaching out to grab the one thing he could never, ever save: his friends' lives. . . .

After even he had been killed by Madara Uchiha, Sasuke shouted, _Enough! I've seen enough! Leave me! Bring me back to reality!_

No one answered. Instead, the scene zoomed into the insane, cackling Madara and, a few feet away, the lifeless body of Naruto. As Madara threw his head back with his laughs of triumph, his mask fell off, revealing the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and Rinnegan fully in their crazed light.

Naruto opened his eyes.

Before Sasuke could make sense of what happened, the scene began to fade away. Black spots appeared in his vision, swelling into black circles, and then blocking out large portions of the scene completely. He reached out, attempting to stop himself from being swallowed by the unknown. He forgot; he didn't have arms.

The last thing he saw was a flitting raven, its wings pure black against the scene of burning red flames and hazy brown smoke.

Then they were gone.

* * *

After what could possibly be forever, the nothingness surrounding Sasuke gained substance. Shapes slowly began to form, and then color was woven out of darkness.

He appeared to be in a town—no, a village. But he didn't recognize the huge, traditional-styled houses spaced out from each other with miles of land and the ponds filled with swimming koi fish, judging by the nearest one. Nor did he recognize the narrow dirt roads, the grassy marshes, and the green hills to the direction that might have been east.

What he did recognize, though, were those banners of the red-and-white Uchiha fan hung at every house.

This was Konoha, then. Konoha in the older days.

Unlike last time, he could not control what he wanted to see. The scene began to move away from these houses without him willing it to. After a few seconds of mental struggle, he gave up.

_Where are you taking me, Voice? _he asked wearily.

No one answered.

He was led through Konoha's streets, which were deserted. Then he traveled to Konoha downtown, where the spaces were more crowded with houses and stores. Still no one. Finally, he was taken to a wide open field with multiple stone stabs sticking out of the earth: the graveyard.

At the far side, a crowd of one thousand was seated in front of a small wooden stage. Everyone was dressed in black with their heads dipped, listening to the man that was speaking from the podium.

Sasuke was taken closer to the villagers. He did not recognize a single face. But, when he closely inspected the standing speaker, he felt as though his numbed, nonexistent body was shocked with his own Chidori Nagashi.

The man, speaking to the crowd, his eyes a normal black and his long hair combed back . . .

It was Madara.

". . . most missed. He has—had always been a man of duty and honor, always thinking of the best for his kinsmen. Words cannot even begin to describe the lasting impact he had on our lives. May our spirits be with him always and never forget the man of the Uchihas . . ."

No. This man had fewer lines underneath his eyes and had a squarer face. The resemblance was there, but Sasuke recognized in time that, while this speaker was an Uchiha, he definitely was not Madara.

And what he had said about his "brother" . . .

This time the Voice, or whatever else it was at work, seemed to follow Sasuke's wishes. His being flew over the funeral mourners' heads to the very front row. The picture of the deceased, wreathed with a ring of flowers, was the man Madara. For further insurance, on the gravestone too were the charactersうちはマダラ—Uchiha Madara.

Sasuke had researched on Madara, of course, in Konoha—the real Konoha. No exact name was given with such a sensitive piece of information, but all sources indicated that the Uchiha died several decades ago in his battle against the first Hokage, which he knew was bullshit anyway. But . . . this didn't make any sense. The man alive was Madara's brother Izuna, but to obtain the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, it would require that man dead. Sasuke didn't understand. Just what was he witnessing? A dream? A lie? A fabricated, artificial piece of memory?

Izuna's bowed. Beside Sasuke, a man he recognized as Ichidaime Senji walked up the wooden stairs. Senji's deep baritone began the delivering of a powerful speech, an identifying quality that would be given to one of his future descendents. Sasuke wasn't able to be around long enough to listen.

Black circles bloomed across the vision. The scene was darkening once more, and Sasuke fought against it, harder this time.

But before he could be taken away, Sasuke saw a cloud of dark blue chakra rising out of the coffin. And, more disturbingly, it carried the unmistakable face of Madara himself.

The cloud condensing around Izuna's head, sinking in. Possessing him.

Darkness swallowed Sasuke, and he saw nothing of what followed.

* * *

Sasuke saw Izuna, instead of Madara, spreading discord amongst the Uchihas. Sometimes when the man was in control of his thoughts, he would shake his head wildly, like he was trying to rid himself of a parasite almost. Izuna would mutter, "I'm in control, not you. I am powerful, not you. Leave me. Leave me. _Leave me!_" Then he would cry and laugh at the same time.

Sasuke saw Izuna, instead of Madara, challenge the First in a fight at the Valley of the End Izuna would eventually lose, but not die. Using his remaining strength, Izuna faked his own death by casting a genjutsu over the thoroughly exhausted Senju. Then followed a gruesome scene, where he crawled all the way back to his brother's grave in Konoha and dug out a pair of very rotten Sharingan eyes from his brother's eye sockets.

Those half-dead, decaying eyes replaced Izuna's blind ones, creating the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. In the next years, shown with short memory-clips, Izuna lived in a distant cave and feasted on wild animals. The chakra of Madara didn't leave, however, and he fought madness still.

There was a particularly long blackout afterward, a space Sasuke suspected was missing something vitally important. When the movie played again, Izuna was shown summoning the Nine-Tailed Fox. His death followed, depicted as a life-or-death struggle against the Fourth.

As Izuna uttered his last words, "I have escaped. Thank you, brother," the blue chakra cloud left his body. And Sasuke was sure the outlines of Madara's face looked even more defined than before.

* * *

The next few scenes were similar in their structure.

Every one of these pieces featured a notorious historical villain. Zabuza. Tora. Orochimaru. Natsumi. Pein. Each and every one of them was taken over in some way by the Madara.

At first, it appeared to be nothing more than an annoyance, like Natsumi conversing with Madara in irritation or Pein ignoring him completely. After a while, though, each and every one of these villains became more and more irrational, no doubt due to Madara's words.

Feeding lies. Creating fear. Building paranoia.

And it became clearer and clearer to Sasuke.

Madara was Voice.

The realization came slowly but surely. It started when Sasuke saw Zabuza addressed Madara as "that voice," and then confirmed with the appearance—and eventual death—of mass murderer Natsumi Yasu.

The story of Pein ended when amorphous form of Madara left Nagato's mind after the founding of Akatsuki. Sasuke saw half of Pein's life flash by quickly, unable to pay much attention to it because of his hectic thoughts. He felt numb, which might explain why he took the fact so calmly. But he supposed that a part of him always knew about the Voice's true identity. He never truly connected the dots simply because of . . . how drastically different the Voice acted as opposed to the mad Madara he knew at his life's end.

Then again, hadn't Madara pretended to be the mentally-disoriented Tobi? Who said he wouldn't do the same?

Around Sasuke, the life of Nagato was replaced by the life of Naruto. Sasuke had a huge shock when he saw the blond as the subject of Madara's brainwashing, but was quickly relieved of his worry when he saw how Madara was immediately rejected by Minato Namikaze, Fourth Hokage, and the Nine-Tailed's combined presence. Sasuke was lulled back by his thoughts once more.

This quiet acceptance of the Voice's identity allowed Sasuke to process thoughts logically. Sasuke now had to admit some things the Voi—Madara did had not made sense.

The face of a six-years-old Naruto Uzumaki faded into flat black. Sasuke made little note of it.

The man claimed to have suppressed Sasuke's memory on purpose so to protect Sasuke on the road to Land of Waves. That was a clear bullshit, thinking about it now. If Sasuke had been prepared to face the Demon Brothers, there would be less of a chance for his teammates to be hurt. Madara had probably hoped Sasuke would kill himself with the attempt, like how Tora Matsui had died when her brain became dead in the last battle (something Sasuke now suspected was not due to her wounds).

The question now, though, was why Madara would choose to show him all of these memories, because that was surely what these happenings were.

But when the pictures became clear once more, all questions and suspicions left Sasuke's head.

It was Madara.

* * *

They were in the same room that was known as "Sasuke's Subconscious" when he had been knocked out in the Land of Waves.

Then Sasuke noticed himself, his physical existence. He had a body again, but it was neither his seventeen-year-old body nor his twelve-year-old one. Somewhere between those two ages, like . . . thirteen or fourteen, oddly, judging by his height.

Sasuke faced Madara squarely, unflinchingly. The man stood on the opposite side with his arms crossed, uncaring. He was mask-less and had on a plain black cloak, looking as ugly and sinister as Sasuke always remembered.

Catching Sasuke's eye, Madara Uchiha smiled, all cheerfulness.

"You're rather lucky, Sasuke," the man said conversationally. There were two layers in his tone: the one Sasuke came to know as the Voice's, and Madara's. "You gained a shape immediately after you woke, having a physical counterpart in this world. Mine, unfortunately, was dead. I had to work for it."

"Why are you here?" he said, his tone betraying none of his emotion. "Why am I not dead?"

Madara's smile wavered. "Ah. I . . . Like I showed you, Naruto Uzumaki wasn't quite as dead as I thought. . . . When he _was_ dead, however, the aftermath of our battle created an unwanted . . . dimensional vortex. And you mustn't have been dead either, and got sucked to this mess. Then it was the pain as payment shit, even though I never had any control over your name of Uchiha in the first place." He shook his head, whole body shaking with laughter. "And you actually believed me!"

Sasuke took two steps forward, preparing to attack the man if necessary. But Madara did nothing about Sasuke's advancement.

Sasuke stopped himself. He was at a distinct disadvantage. What he needed now was gain more information, not attack Voice-Madara.

That would come later.

"You had lied about pain as payment," he said, stalling. "You never needed it in the first place; you simply wanted to possess my mind to regain strength."

"Ah, now wouldn't that be convenient," he said in the double-voice. It sounded scripted and robotic, bored. "But you see, the more pain you feel, the weaker your psyche is, and the easier it is for me to access your brain. When you lose your memories in that accursed amnesia, you doubt nothing and suspect nothing. And ironically, that acts as a defense against me and I cannot enter your thoughts as easily. So yes, I lied about pain as payment. But I need it."

Sasuke forced himself to stay calm and not do something drastic.

"But you helped me. Why?" he demanded.

"Silly, suicidal Sasuke." Madara _tut_ted, sounding truly sad. "When I possessed your subconscious, I was almost complete. You're too overprotective when it comes to your friends. Who says you're not going to just rush over and sacrifice yourself if something does happen? Why, I might even die! But it's no longer an issue now." Madara laughed.

"You're right," Sasuke said, discreetly drawing back his fist. "That's not an issue now. You are gonna die right now."

The Voice was unfazed. "And what do you think will happen when you try to attack me with your little fist?"

"You can't kill me directly. You don't have enough control. Otherwise you would've knocked me out when you had the chance."

Madara wagged a finger.

"Now, now, don't waste your efforts. Sure, it took many, many years, but I've already recovered enough to have a physical body (a thank-you-very-much on that, by the way). I can escape anytime from this place, and it would take minimal effort."

Sasuke's fist loosened. Instead, his fingers knotted into a ninjutsu seal, Ox—the first hand-sign for a Chidori.

"I won't let you escape," he said, "even if it means to kill myself!"

Madara smiled again, a smile of dark mirth.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so confident about that," the man said. "But now that your mind is rejecting me so violently already, I think I'll take my leave."

"You're not going anywhere!" He began the seals.

"Ah, how rude of me, I almost forgot. . . ."

"_CHIDORI!_"

The ball of lightning glowed in his hand. For a moment, Sasuke wondered if it would do any damage at all, but there was no time to think.

He ran forward—

". . . A parting gift."

With that, Madara punched one of the clean, flawless white walls with his fist.

The effect was immediate.

Sasuke's whole world began to shake, though Madara, who was three feet in front of him, was not affected by all. Another punch at the wall, and Sasuke was sent to his knees, the Chidori gone.

Madara knelt down beside Sasuke. And so, so quietly Sasuke thought he'd imagined it, the Voice said, "It is high time for me to leave now. Goodbye, Sasuke." Then, louder: "This is my last gift to you, my influences over your weak mind. Hope you have fun."

"No . . ."

His world was shaking, shaking, shaking. His head was spinning, spinning, spinning. Madara's form was changing. He morphed into the redheaded Tora, into Zabuza, into Orochimaru, into Itachi, into the sixteen year old Naruto, into Sakura, and back into Madara again. . . .

"I am the Voice," the man said softly. "I am the Voice, the god who is mortal. I am the Voice, Uchiha Madara."

Like leaves in the wind, Madara's form scattered into pieces, and then melted into to shadows.

The rest was silence.

* * *

**~.*.~**

* * *

Naruto had followed Sasuke ever since the latter ran off into the forest until a giant toad and a giant snake made him lose track of Sasuke.

When he did regain his bearings, Naruto found his friend curled up underneath one of the trees, eyes closed and most likely not conscious. He ran to Sasuke immediately.

"Hey, bastard!" He knelt down to shake him awake. "Sasuke! Hey, this isn't time for you to be sleeping. Wake up! I need you to tell me what's happening! Sasuke—wake up!"

For a terrible second when Naruto received no response, he thought Sasuke was dead. But, with a strong pinch on the arm, the boy's head gave a sideway jerk. A groan came out from Sasuke's lips. Eyelids fluttered open. Eyeballs rolled to Naruto's face.

Seeing the prick alive and well, the blond gave a sigh of relief.

"Good, you're awake now, bastard. I thought—"

The only warning Naruto got was a red flash of the Sharingan. Next thing he knew, he was flying backwards from the receiving end of Sasuke's fist.

When his back hit the tree, Naruto could've sworn something broke.

"S-Sasuke," he said, wiping away a trail of blood from his lips. "What the _hell_—"

He heard it before he saw it: the screeches of one thousand birds.

Sasuke walked to him, swinging left and right unsteadily. The hand without Chidori covered half of his face, but Naruto could easily see the half-mad grin under the blue lightning's illumination.

"Uzumaki Naruto . . ."

Sasuke held back his head and laughed.

"Today," he said, "_you die_."


	20. When Plans Fail

**Disclaimer: Dancing Daniel daringly dates dumb doughnuts.  
(a.k.a. NO.)**

**A/N:** Big thanks to **A Girl Named Blessed**, **StellaMarris** (lol, the e-cookie is yours), **Dawnaven**, anonymous reviewer **BriBri**, **Chantrea Moonbeam**, **Taijen**, **Greenerseyes**, **Mokimoki-chan**, **Tigerfighter98**, **XIIIth Antagonist**, **Princess Ren,** **Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan**, **Luka1Sakura**, **Seirei** **Ryuu**, **Aristocrate**, **xCrushxChanx18**, **Naiya12**, **EclipseStripe**, **xxxemiko . itoochixxx**, **Parpallee**, **Tukiko K**, **ZeldaLove Akira-Chan**, and **meantimegirl**. I swear, this is the last time I delay the responses to reviews. :( Please take this as an apology (and sorta-bribe).

This chapter was a huge, huge pain to write, and probably the worst that will ever be written by me. It's pretty serious this time too. Sorry . . .

* * *

20. When Plans Fail

_Where am I?_

Confusion.

Anger.

Fear.

Revenge. Revenge. Revenge.

_Kill him. Kill the boy who stands between you and the village's destruction._

_Kill him!_

Naruto ducked away from the Chidori in time to dodge a fatal wound. The tree he was leaning against, however, wasn't so lucky and blasted into pieces on impact.

The Uchiha instantly felt a drain in his strength. But how could it be so? It was the most elementary form of Chidori. . . .

_Why . . . ?_

"Just what the _hell_ are you doing?" shouted Naruto, his left arm bloody. A large sliver of the destroyed tree had pierced through the boy's skin.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong with this scene.

No. It couldn't be dwelled on now.

He tried to activate Susanoo, the giant spirit protector. But when Sasuke did so, he . . . he couldn't reach the pool of power that was the Eternal Mangekyou.

He felt a prickling of panic. Had Naruto done a sealing jutsu while they fought? Had Kabuto? Had Madara?

Naruto continued speaking, "It's me, Naruto, you idiot! I'm not your enemy, jeez! Now look at my arm. How am I supposed to—?"

Sasuke heard nothing after the words "not your enemy." In a sudden flash of fury, his fingers weaved themselves into seals after seals until he shouted, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

The thread of fire in front of Sasuke's mouth grew into a fireball. He saw Naruto's blue eyes reflect flashes of emotion—confusion, anger, fear—and an irrational fright suddenly gripped Sasuke. Then fire swallowed up Naruto's form, leaving nothing but ashes and the charred black ground.

Seeing his victory, the Uchiha collapsed onto his knees. Like the Chidori, this simple jutsu had taken much more chakra than he thought. But it didn't matter anymore . . . Naruto Uzumaki was dead. . . .

And so he believed until Sasuke found himself airborne, a throbbing pain in his abdomen. Before he could understand the situation, five Naruto clones surrounded him, having appeared from nowhere.

Five clones delivered an upper-kick, all landing on Sasuke in the stomach. Then the last Naruto stomped down Sasuke's back. Sasuke flew up and downward, his limbs splayed out, defenseless.

His collision with the ground sent dirt flying in all directions. No normal civilian could've survived such a hit.

_Substitution . . . _Sasuke thought._ Naruto used _Substitution_. . . ._

Even knowing he did not have the chakra, Sasuke raised his weakened arms and shakily formed another seal—this time to paralyze Naruto with a Chidori Nagashi. But he was simply too slow.

When Sasuke lifted his head again, he saw ten Narutos running in his direction.

He tried to stand, tried to run, but tripped and fell backward. Nine pairs of hands tackled his arms, pinning him to the ground.

"Did you use Henge? Are you an imposter?" He could feel Naruto's breath on his face. "WHO ARE YOU? WHAT BASTARD ARE YOU WORKING FOR?"

The most Sasuke could manage was a weak gurgling sound.

All of Narutos' eyes widened at the exact same time. Mercilessly, the leading clone stabbed Sasuke in the stomach.

And Sasuke's Shadow Clone evaporated out of existence.

The real Sasuke blinked as memories and thoughts and discovery flooded his mind. Ever since his fireball had failed to kill Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke had been waiting at this tree branch, wordlessly watching his clone fight against Naruto's.

A furious Naruto spun his body and was met with two Sharingans: two black commas on the right eye and two black commas on the left.

Discovered, Sasuke stood up tall and straight, now surveying Naruto with an expression of cold disdain.

"A clone. The Sasuke I know would never hide behind a clone," Naruto bit out.

_Strange_, thought Sasuke, instead of speaking. Naruto used the Genin-level technique of Substitution, even though a simple fireball should've been beyond his ability to dodge it. Other things had not matched up before too, like the Sixth Hokage's clothing, his favored use of Shadow Clones as opposed to Rasengens. But now—now things were piecing together. Sasuke could see that this wasn't an illusion. Naruto did, in fact, look younger. And it would explain why the drain of chakra seemed so much . . . in comparison to his seventeen year old body.

"Interesting," Sasuke said. "Very interesting."

"Hell yeah, it's gonna be interesting when I beat you black and purple!" Naruto's eyes wavered between red and blue. "You won't take another step forward until you tell me where Sasuke is!"

Sasuke ignored the boy's words; Naruto had never talked much sense. "Ah, I remember. The Kyuubi. Back when you were still Jinchuuriki. And . . . yet, you're not in control. Can it be that"—Sasuke's lips twisted into a smirk— "can it be that I have pertained all of my memories, while you have nothing?"

He tilted his head sideways, and a clump of bark soared pass his ear.

"_What have you done to my friend?_"

"Hn . . . My reflex is worse than I remembered. And my chakra level too. This may be a problem."

"ANSWER ME!"

Sasuke stared at him squarely, impassively.

Somewhere out, a bomb or jutsu detonated. Its impact shook the ground badly, jarring ravens away from their nests, but he didn't even bat an eye.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," he said. "Last member of the Akatsuki. Last heir of the Uchiha clan. The soon-to-be destroyer of Konohagakure. And it will all start with—" he pointed at Naruto "—obtaining the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Tomoes spun wilding in his pupils.

It didn't matter, whether Sasuke was six or sixteen. All he knew for sure, in absolute certainty, was that he was in a body stronger than Naruto's, which meant one less obstacle to cross before he could his revenge.

Sasuke smiled, insane, and then drew out a weapon. . . .

A sudden, feral growl ripped through the woods, stopping Sasuke from further action. Hackles on his neck rose from the primal instinct of prey meeting predator. But before he could escape, before he had the chance to move a single muscle, a hand of sand flew through the woods and slammed him against a tree.

Then, a monster entered the scene.

The left half of its body was sand-swollen, covered in yellow sand with blue markings like cracks in the earth. A spiny tail curled around its feet. Its left hand was engorged and claw-like, while the other remained human. Gaara could barely be recognized underneath his monstrous exterior transformation.

When this creature saw Sasuke, trapped under its power, it smiled.

"You," Gaara stepped slowly forward, "will be my two-hundred and ninety-third kill today, Sasuke of Konoha!"

* * *

Kakashi's summoning, Pakkun, led Sakura out of the Chuunin Exam stadium to search for her two Genin teammates. The ninja dog had detected a scent trail out east of Konoha, where they were currently heading.

The woods were quiet. Each rustle of leaves they made were as loud as a thousand cymbals.

"How much farther?" Sakura asked.

"A bit more . . ." replied Pakkun, lunging for another foothold on the tree bark. His half-lidded eyes—so much like Kakashi's—turned to her. "But . . . you sure you gonna do this? Don't wanna mess up your pretty hair with this terrible stuff I'm sniffin'."

It had been established earlier that they both use the same shampoo, much to Sakura's distraught.

"I'm _sure_, little dog—"

"Who're you callin' 'little'!"

"—just check for any enemies on the way."

"Told ya already. There's nothin'. But . . . well." Pakkun sniffed the air. "Like I said, lots of shinobi around _that place_, in the northeast. But they don't seem to be moving."

"Does it matter then?" Sakura asked sharply. "Naruto and Sasuke aren't near them, are they?"

"No . . ."

Nothing of interest happened until the ground beneath them started to shake, more than ten minutes later.

_An earthquake_, Sakura thought. She steadied herself by grabbing a clump of twigs. When the shaking passed, that was when she saw it: an earthen fountain, rising over treetops. From a distance, it looked just like the sprout of a whale. _An Earth-type explosion?_

Then, all around her, a thousand birds rose to flight. Once serene, the forest was now penetrated by a chorus of squawks and chirps.

_Strange. They weren't moving when the bigger quakes came._

"Hey, little dog," she said, half-attempting to make conversation; she felt a bit guilty for snapping at Pakkun earlier. Her eyes were on the birds' shrinking forms. "What was that, you think? I know it was far away, but . . . Did you smell anything? Let's go up higher, to get a better view. In case an enemy masked his scent. Or her scent. Um . . . Or maybe we can try and denser path, and then . . . doggie? Dog? Pakkun? Pakkun!"

When she finally turned and saw the ninja dog, he was whimpering at a stump's foot. His eyes were covered tightly by his paws, his ears flat against his skull. Sakura hopped to him quickly and reached out, patting his fur soothingly. He was trembling.

"Pakkun?"

"It smells . . ." he heaved. "It smells like . . . Hundreds of 'em, all . . ." At this point, he was too shaken to speak. The dog whimpered and whined, the way dogs do when they were frightened.

"What . . . what happened?"

"It's those ninjas . . . the ones that stayed over there and never moved . . ."

"Yes?"

"T . . ." Deep breath in, deep breath in. "They're all dead . . . all dead . . ."

"D-dead? Did Konoha . . . ?"

Pakkun shook his head feebly. "It smells . . . like sand. . . . Like desert . . . and chakra . . . and Naruto . . ."

Sakura frowned.

_What? _Naruto_?_

Over their heads, an ink falcon dipped its wings to make a half-rotation, flapping its wings back to its master.

* * *

"G-Gaara!" Naruto's eye color returned to normal, and the heavy traces of his whiskers disappeared. "What happened to you?"

Leave it to Naruto to say something as moronic as that.

Sasuke opened his eyes, dazed.

"Damn it all—" Sasuke's binds tightened, forcing air out of his lungs.

If only he could form seals with his hands . . .

"Sasuke!"

How confusing it must've been for Naruto. Was Sasuke the enemy? Was Gaara the enemy? Or were they both the enemy?

"I wonder what death would suit you the most . . ." Gaara's eyelids stretched so far apart his eyes were almost popping out. "What death would it be? What death for you would most justify my existence in this world? What is more painful . . . ? The first one-hundred and twenty-two guards I killed were crushed to death . . . the next one-hundred, sliced into pieces . . . and the remaining I tore from limb to limb. . . . So tell me, Mother, tell me . . . what should I do with him?"

Using this opportunity, Naruto bravely—and foolishly—attempted to attack Gaara. A splash of sand from the gourd and a whip of Shukaku's tail sent Naruto sailing through the trees. Sasuke, confined by Gaara, could see nothing beyond his curtain of pain.

_My lungs are getting crushed . . . I can't breathe . . . If this lasts any longer, I'll— _He grounded his molars. _I'll die._

_I can't die. I can't die. I have to avenge my clan first. I have to destroy Konoha first._

Desperation does strange things to a cornered mad man.

He was affiliated with Lightning and Fire, Sasuke knew. Being reborn into a younger body wouldn't change that. Both elements were hard to control—wild, when the leash was cut. And both were destructive as well.

He didn't need hand seals for his chakra to turn into fire or electricity. He didn't need to be mobile. As long as his skin could be in contact with the bark, the _flammable_ bark, behind him . . . and as long as he could concentrate his chakra into that one point . . . just like his very first leaf affinity test . . . The wood would be burned through, and he would be free.

Now, could he really have succeeded in what he was planning? Perhaps. A spark could've been created through this process, feeding on Sasuke's chakra in absence of oxygen. But whether or not the fire would grow, and whether or not he would burn to death before the fire consumed a large enough hole, was up to fate.

And Sasuke would never know. As soon as he felt the first spark coming to life in his palm, his body shut down at the combined pressure from Gaara's sand and from his own demands for energy. Quietly and without fuss, he fainted.

After everything, Sasuke Uchiha just didn't know his limits.

* * *

It was always Naruto's job to save the day. Always.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO CHAAARGE!"

In truth, Sakura was jealous sometimes of Naruto, but for difference reasons mostly.

Gaara closed his eyes. "Pitiful."

In this case, it was of his idiocy.

The animated sand was quick to whip out four of the twenty Naruto clones. One disappeared all by itself. The fifteen remaining dispersed then regrouped, each holding his fist high.

"Barbarians," Gaara snarled. Six more were taken out before they even reached him.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" _Poof!_ Ten more clones materialized. Eight were hit. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" _Poof!_ Twenty came. Ten dissolved into smoke. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Thirty this time. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Fifteen perished. "Shadow Clone Jutsu! Shadow Clone Jutsu! SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

"Where the real one?" roared Gaara, fighting off Narutos from all sides. "Where are you?"

A fist appeared right beside Gaara's head. It would've been a dead-on hit if not for Shukaku's interference of sand.

"Hehe . . ." Blood flowed down Naruto's knuckles. With his left hand he took out a kunai. "Right here!"

Naruto was thrown off Gaara's back—though not before the kunai was thrown the latter's way. It was deflected immediately.

Naruto grinned. "Right below us, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura's timing, while not always as perfect and last-minute as Naruto's, had always been good.

Of course, the fact that one of her clones had been a transformation of Naruto in his clone army . . . well, that helped too.

She swiped the kunai out of the air, having planned everything with Naruto via clone earlier. She grabbed the limb of a tree, swinging herself back up and then releasing the weapon when she reached maximum velocity.

The kunai was thrown in sync with Narutos' dozens. At the barrage of weapons, the Shukaku had little choice but to summon an eggshell-like shield to protect his host.

Exactly forty-five kunai were embedded in sand, but only Sakura's transformed into a boy.

Naruto Uzumaki, to be more specific.

Sakura grinned. Their plan, despite its many possible pits, had worked.

Panicked, Gaara swatted Naruto away from his sand with his bare hands. The clone disappeared, but others were able to grab Gaara's arms, immobilizing him for just a minute. The real Naruto was the last to appear. Behind Gaara, he charged.

"Hidden Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu—"

Sakura already knew what was coming, but she couldn't help grimacing at Kakashi's overdramatic jutsu name.

"—_A THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!_"

So he poked Gaara's behind.

It didn't create the shooting-into-air effect Kakashi had perfected with his Thousand Years of Death. No.

This was much more dramatic.

No sooner had Naruto regained his footing beside Sakura, Gaara exploded. Sand flew everywhere like sludge. Sakura shielded her face, as did Naruto. For a second, she really believed Gaara was dead, that the exploding tag left on him from A Thousand Years of Death succeeded in killing the demon.

When Sakura dared to look again, Gaara—or the mutated version of him—was still there. Limping. Bleeding. Streams of sand flowed down his face, pooling the ground. He looked like he was in a lot of pain, but the demon was definitely still alive.

"Holy mother of beef-flavored dog biscuits," muttered Pakkun. He had been hiding his face in Sakura's neck.

Holy mother was right.

"How . . . did you know . . . my weakness?" Gaara said, covering his yellow, disintegrating eye.

Sakura was too frightened to answer. The initial excitement had washed away. Adrenaline left her. Now she could feel the murderous aura this boy exerted, and it was overpowering.

Then Gaara's eye was on her. All of her breath was sucked out of her body.

"_You_."

In an instant, Naruto was in front of her.

"Sakura-chan, get out of this place. I'll handle this guy."

"But—"

Naruto shook his head.

"Trust me on this." He clutched his stomach. "Believe in me. Believe it. I can do so much more—"

"You weren't conscious when my clone found you!"

"Because I was caught off-guard."

"I—Don't expect me to just stay back and watch!" But she couldn't even convince herself. Her voice was shaky. She was afraid.

Sakura heard her heartbeats easily now: _I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die_.

"I just—I don't want my friends to get hurt," said Naruto.

_Because in the end . . . I'm always the one getting in the way,_ Sakura thought. But she fought back the angry tears. It wasn't fair to Naruto, thinking like that, and this was hardly the time to cry.

"I'll get Sasuke and other reinforcements," she promised. "Us three will fight. Together."

Naruto nodded. But then, realizing something, he hurriedly said, "Wait, Sakura-chan, be careful! That Sasuke is—"

He would've been crushed by two sand bullets (admittedly slower than usual) if Sakura hadn't kicked him away. She dashed away before another attack could reach her.

Sakura didn't wait to hear Naruto finish the rest of his sentence.

After two minutes of searching, Sakura found him. He was trapped in a—was that a hand?—sand constraint high up, near the crown of the oak. She would never have noticed if it weren't for the small amount of sand that had dropped on her head.

Her fingers touched the grainy substance in her hair. She looked up, and saw Sasuke.

Then the hand of sand completely dissolved.

Sakura leapt from the ground to catch Sasuke as he fell. She landed on the closest solid surface she could find, a neighboring branch, and gently placed her teammate down.

"Is he, er, still alive?" Pakkun said gruffly, walking down Sakura's arm to get a closer look. "I mean, that was a pretty long time to stay crushed. He might not even be conscious. . . ."

"Shut it, little doggie." Sakura stared at Sasuke's faintly rising and falling chest. _Please, please, please . . . Be _alive_. . . ._

She listened for Gaara and Naruto. They were farther away than she thought. She could barely hear Naruto's obnoxiously loud voice, shouting out jutsus and declarations. Her heart clenched at the thought of him losing.

Sakura knew Naruto's strength, his impossible stamina, but she also knew Gaara's hidden power. She remembered Lee, and what happened to the people who dared to fight against the boy from Sand.

"Sasuke . . ."

_Come on, we need you._

Miraculously, his eyes opened.

Sakura clasped her hands together.

"Thank goodness! Sasuke, I—"

His fingers wrapped around her throat.

* * *

"Haruno Sakura."

He tightened his hold, watching her squirm, enjoying her pain.

In alarm, Kakashi's summon (Pakkun, was it?) yelped and bit Sasuke's arm. In annoyance, the Uchiha tossed the dog away. Its head hit a tree and it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Sa . . . Sa . . ." His eyes were back on Sakura.

Sasuke Uchiha knew what this little girl would grow up into, knew how much of a threat she was to his plans. She was too distracting. Even now, while he choked her, he felt that completely irrational urge to protect her from pain.

He felt too much for a weakling like her. She, he decided, needed to die.

"Sa . . . Sa . . . suke—"

The lack of "-kun" confused him. Confusion angered him. Ignoring the sharp stabs of pain that came with movement, he lifted her into the air. She clawed at his arm, legs thrashing about like fish out of water.

Seeing this, he smiled. Asphyxiation amused him.

"I think I used to love you, Sakura," said Sasuke softly. "I think I actually did, or believed I did. As a friend, as a sister, or as a lover. I can't remember too much now."

Her face was turning a dangerous shade of red, caused by lack of breath.

Sasuke blinked once, and Sharingan replaced black.

"Why is it that, even now, even _here_, you still have that effect on me?" he whispered. "Why is it that you, an unremarkable girl in appearance and ability, would catch my attention? I, an Uchiha? Was it just because I am your teammate? Do you still love me, Sakura? Even after I tried to kill you?"

"You a-are—"

Why was she still trying to talk? She was being choked to death, god. What could she possibly achieve by talking?

Fine then, he was just going to make sure she wouldn't be able to. He would break her little neck, snap them so not even she could _heal_ them. . . .

"—S-Sasuke . . . y-y-you are Sasuke—n-not Uchiha."

Then, just like that, he woke.

* * *

Memories. Thousands of bits and pieces, from the Voice to Madara, from his arrival to the Chuunin Exams, from nothing to _Team 7_.

Naruto. Kakashi. Sakura.

Then he stared, horrified, at what he had done. He stared at Sakura's still body, lying against the branch, breathing in bare wisps of breaths. He looked at her closed eyes. He looked at her thin, thin neck, where a faint handprint of red circled the pale skin.

He had done this.

He had done this.

He had done this.

Swifter than shadows, a figure snatched Sakura's body away. Sasuke didn't react; he already knew who it was.

Black hair, pale skin, and an Uchiha crest on the back of his shirt.

It was Sai.

Instead, Sasuke pled.

"Please," he said. The pushing, _obliviating_ sensation was back again. He wouldn't be able to hold on much longer before amnesia took over, wiping away every single memory he had in this world. He didn't have much time before Sasuke Uchiha came back. "Please."

Blank eyes stared back, uncomprehending.

Sasuke swallowed thickly. Naruto was off fighting Gaara, Sakura was half-dead from Sasuke's strangling hold. Sai was the only one left.

Perhaps it was time for this Uchiha to be useful after all.

"Kill me."

* * *

**A/N:** It's rather shameless of me to say this . . . and it'll probably lose any attention _Sasuke, Not Uchiha_ has had, but . . . SNU, like all of my other stories, will be on a two-month-long hiatus. One month for NaNoWriMo, and another month for the NaNo Novel editing. I had hoped to finish at least two chapters in October. It didn't work out though, unfortunately.

I'm really, really sorry for this. :(

Happy Halloween, everyone! See you all hopefully at SNU's one-year anniversary!


	21. Wartime Scars

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N:** I . . . need to stop making promises I can't keep.

**Edit A/N 12/22/2011:** This is the same chapter I uploaded yesterday. I smoothed over some of the worse parts of this chapter, but it still requires future editing. If you wish, you can look this over again. Nothing much has changed though.

* * *

21. Wartime Scars

Sai watched as the last bit of ink sank through Sasuke's skin. His mind automatically switched to the memory of another body, another place, and a completely different situation. He closed his eyes, and the image was wrenched out of his mind.

Sasuke, the boy with the Sharingan, sank to the ground, unconscious. This was to be expected. Instead of his own chakra in the ink like before, Sai had put sedatives. Sasuke wouldn't open his eyes for quite a while.

For a moment, Sai wondered if he should wipe Sasuke's memory clean. He knew the boy didn't mean to choke Sakura; he himself saw the cloud of malicious chakra that possessed Sasuke.

Perhaps it would be kinder for him to forget . . . ?

That thought alone shocked Sai out of his reverie. Pity. That was an emotion. An emotion he could never afford.

_Kill me._

The haunted look on Sasuke's face haunted Sai.

The Uchiha would never admit it was his own humanity that stopped him from following Sasuke's wishes, just as he would never admit he came here to rescue his friends.

So Sai smiled. Smiling was easy: muscles around the lips contracting and relaxing to form what humans call an _expression_. Smiling didn't mean anything.

Sai whipped his brush and quickly drew a lion on tree bark. It prowled around Sasuke and Sakura protectively, stretching its back-and-white jaws.

The earth shuddered another time. Sai would have to join Naruto in his fight with Gaara soon.

He looked back at Sasuke and Sakura.

_Kill me,_ the ghost repeated.

Sasuke was so much like him.

* * *

_Sasuke Uchiha had been battling a Resurrected Sand ninja when he sensed it: Madara's chakra._

_It was an essence that stank so much of blood he would recognize it from anywhere, a shade that would never leave his mind._

_The boy's heels pivoted. He posed to leap off the tree branches, only to realize he was stepping on one of his Shinobi comrades' bloody, mangled legs. Disgusted, Sasuke kicked the corpse away before pursuing Madara's undead army._

That traitor . . .

_He thought of the horrible scene in Madara's Sharingan lab and the beast inside his heart bristled. All of those Uchiha eyes Madara used for his own selfish purposes . . ._

_War-smoke wafted drifted into the sky, and blood of the murdered travelling to the heavens, carrying their last anguished breaths . . ._

_One Sasuke Uchiha left the destroyed village of Saigomade to chase after a trap._

* * *

Sasuke knew where he was even before he identified the smell of anesthetics and medicine. He opened his eyes and saw, to his expectations, blank white walls and a privacy curtain draped around his bed. A window was left open next to the bedside table. Birdsong and scattered shouts flowed into the room.

There was no pressure on his head, indicating Sasuke was no longer in danger of losing his memories . . . and turning into the monster of his past self. Madara's controlled amnesia that caused Sasuke to forget all he had experienced in the present world, forget his friendships and bonds, forget his losses and regrets—along with the Voice himself, it was gone.

But now he knew it too, didn't he? No matter how hard he tried to forget the past, that monster was still within him, seething, searching for revenge. All it took was a little flick of Madara's finger.

Mind still in a numbing haze, Sasuke checked his body slowly. He found not one chakra limiting device, not a collar or a handcuff. He glanced at his own hands.

Perhaps this was an illusion after all? It wasn't possible, was it? To have a murderer let loose this way?

The privacy curtain was pulled apart, and Kakashi, dressed from head to toe in black, appeared by Sasuke's side.

Sasuke tried to rise but was knocked back down by an unexpected nausea. White spots erupted in his eyes and bile rose from his throat. With the danger of throwing up near, he sank back to bed.

"Kakashi," he said instead, wishing his voice hadn't croak so. Let him go through his impending execution with some dignity, at least.

"Sasuke." The man's voice was colder than Sasuke had ever heard.

Kakashi seated himself on the bed, facing away from Sasuke. _Icha Icha Paradise_ was held in his hand, closed.

Just who was the Copycat Ninja, at that moment?

A friend? A teacher? A fellow shinobi?

Or a jailor?

"How long was I out?" Sasuke asked. He didn't normally start conversations, but the chill of the room was making him shiver.

"Five days." Kakashi gave a small sigh. "In an earlier checkup, they purged your chakra. That may have affected your mobile abilities. Of course, the multiple Chidoris that went on back there didn't help either."

"Is that why they are holding me captive here?" asked Sasuke. There was no anger or sarcasm in his voice, only indifference. "Because I can hardly walk?"

Kakashi looked at his student for a while before answering, "No."

"Then, Naruto . . . Sakura . . ." Sasuke's throat constricted. "Are they alright?"

"They are," the man replied shortly.

Then, Kakashi, pocketing his copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_, spoke, "Do you remember what I told you before the Chuunin Exams?"

_If you show any signs at all that you are betraying the village, I will not hesitate to kill you._

"Of course."

"And do you understand the magnitude of your crimes?"

Sasuke held his breath, waiting for Kakashi to continue.

"Even though Naruto and Sakura, and even Sai, denied that anything happened, the evidence surrounding the Shukaku fight indicates that _something_ happened." Kakashi's eyes roamed around the room, as if he wasn't interested in what he was saying at all. "We found traces of fire and lightning attacks where the Shukaku never stepped on—you are never the one to miss twenty yards of your target—and yet burnt clothes and red welts were found on Naruto's body. Welts from staying too close to an electrical current. And hands," he looked at Sasuke again, piercing, "the One-Tailed Beast can hardly strangle a thirteen year old girl, can it?"

The feeling of her neck beneath his hand sent Sasuke's stomach turning. Unconsciously, his fingers twitched.

"Sai was able to call reinforcements and medics through his ink creations. By that time, though, Naruto was already done with the kid Gaara. You were then brought in."

Sasuke nodded. His thoughts were in a torrent. The news of his friends was reassuring, but it did hardly a dent on his growing guilt.

"They were all ready to shut their mouths about this," Kakashi continued. "Your teammates. They were gonna take this to their graves. It was all useless, however, when the business was handed to Yamanaka Inoichi. Though Sakura and Naruto did cause some trouble."

_Inner Sakura and the Nine-Tails_, Sasuke thought.

"By then, they were perfectly willing to deem you traitor . . ."

His heart stopped.

"But I interfered."

Sasuke looked at Kakashi. Had his teacher just . . . ?

_If you show any signs at all that you are betraying the village, I will not hesitate to kill you._

"I suggested another checkup, this time in your brain, for the possibilities of mind-control," Kakashi said. His voice, though as unemotional as before, seemed to gain some warmth. "They detected foreign chakra there—chakra that not even our best sensors could identify. This brings the possibility of a foreign shinobi with a blood limit of long-distance brainwash. The higher-ups all agreed that this was the work of Cloud ninjas, whom you would have the most possible contact with.

"This, added to Sakura, Naruto, and Sai's testimony, should have determined your innocence. Even so, the Council wished to revoke your status as a shinobi. But they couldn't. They couldn't decide on such a politically sensitive matter until a new Hokage was inaugurated.

"So in the end, you are free of all charges."

Kakashi's words sunk in slowly.

"Free of all charges . . . ?" Sasuke said incredulously.

His teammates were safe and well. He wasn't going to get executed. Far from it—he was declared innocent! It was almost unimaginable . . . everything fell so perfectly into place . . . and yet . . .

"Yes," Kakashi said, interrupting his thoughts, "but under surveillance for an undeterminable time. And don't try to explain your actions to me."

The man looked out the window, where clouds were gathering fast in the sky.

"It's best if you explain the truth to all of us. At the same time."

With a start, Sasuke realized this might be the first time Kakashi had most likely just disobeyed orders from higher-ups with what he had said.

Sasuke was so lost in his thoughts he almost missed a very, very important fact.

"Wait, hold on a second," he said. "'Until a new Hokage is inaugurated.' What does . . . that mean?"

His teacher's face instantly darkened.

"Today is the funeral ceremony for the fallen shinobis of Konoha." Kakashi stood up and moved for the door before facing Sasuke. The man's expression was unfathomable. "Your clothes are under the bed. If you hurry up and get changed . . . you might see him one last time."

* * *

They were standing right in front of Naruto's apartment building, Sasuke and Kakashi facing Sai, Naruto, and Sakura in a backdrop of an empty Konoha street and gray skies. Everyone was in ugly black mourning clothes.

"Sasuke," Naruto stated plainly.

"Naruto," his friend acknowledged.

Naruto suffered few injuries due to the Nine-Tail; he had not a bandage in sight. The only visible scar across Sai's left arm was pink and dated. Sakura looked unmarred also, but Sasuke noticed her high-collared shirt covering her neck.

The two best friends continued their stare-down for a few more seconds. Then, Naruto grinned.

"You bastard, finally woke up from your beauty sleep?"

Sasuke would never understand how his idiotic friend always seemed to know the right words to say at the right time, how the atmosphere would always warm whenever Naruto opened his mouth. But right now, Sasuke was thankful of this ability.

So of course, he shot back:

"If you train more instead of spying on your teammates, you might have a hope of beating me one day." He smirked. "Do-be."

"Are you insulting my abilities to beat you into a bloody pulp?"

"As if you can even put a scratch on my forehead protector."

Naruto suddenly grinned and wrapped his arm around Sasuke's shoulders, causing the latter to slump under his weight.

"It's good to have teme back . . ." Then, before the scene got too cheesy, Naruto added, "I mean, who's going to be my slave otherwise?"

"Hn. Likewise, moron. Likewise."

From the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw Sakura smiling in relief.

Sai opened his mouth to speak. Sasuke immediately despaired, knowing it would be another poke at his sexuality, especially with Naruto's arms around himself.

But instead, Sai asked, completely out of the blue:

"Why did the chicken cross the road?"

They stared at him. He shrugged.

"I read somewhere that it was good to alleviate tension with a well-timed joke."

Kakashi and Sakura laughed.

* * *

Any cheerfulness, however, was gone by the time they reached the Hokage Tower. There, the funeral would be held for Konoha's most honorable men. Team 7 was slowly shocked into soberness.

Masses of black congregated through the streets. Villagers—civilians and shinobis alike—walked in with a sense of dream-like daze. Overhead, rain was falling. The sky had, too, begun its grieving.

They were separated by rank; Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto hurried to the front rows while Sai and Kakashi stayed behind. Through the rain, Sasuke saw Chouji crying together with his team. Sakura quietly explained that Chouji's father was one of the many who had fallen along with the Third. Sasuke felt his heart numb.

He saw that some shinobi in mourning while they should've died in his past life, yet some who were supposed to live were dead. Like Chouza.

_You win some, you lose some_, echoes of the Voice seemed to say in his mind.

Up at the stage, words of grief, loss, honor, and hope were lost. Everyone was deaf that day. Death and mute.

It all seemed wrong somehow. People were too silent. Naruto wasn't talking. Kakashi wasn't late. Sakura wasn't asking Sai for dates.

The village needed a leader. But the Hokage was dead. Killed by Orochimaru.

_I could've prevented this_, Sasuke thought. His eyes couldn't leave the sobbing figures of Konohamaru and Chouji as they, the family of the deceased, paid their respects to the dead. _I _should've_ prevented this._

But he didn't.

Why wasn't it enough? Sasuke's fists tightened as tears—something so foreign to him—threatened to flow. Why wasn't it enough? Why couldn't his information help? Why did the Third had to die?

Why was his self so worthless?

Sasuke marched back from Sarutobi's coffin. He couldn't look at the dead man, too afraid of the accusation he would see in Sarutobi's dead eyes in the photo.

Sakura arrived back to his side, her hand empty of the mourning flower. Sometime later, she leaned over to sob in Sasuke's chest. And sometime later, Sasuke hesitantly placed his hand on her head. Her hair was wet from the rain, like his, and she didn't flinch away from his comforting touch.

People began to leave. Konoha must move on, be rebuilt. Leaf sprouts from withered branches. No matter how weak the village was now, it could only become stronger with all the people's efforts. No matter how painful, life must go on.

But some stayed, too stubborn to abandon their great leader. These were ninjas. They had all known the great Kage as a leader, as a comrade, as a teacher. As a father.

Spots of black dotted the nearly empty roof. From afar, they would all seem like ants. And somewhere among them, five shinobi, from Genin to Jounin, stood together silently in the rain.

Team 7 was five spots of black among a hundred others, part of a more that seemed to never be whole again.

* * *

The coffin was lifted away when the clouds parted. Left over mourners were politely asked to leave. The Sandaime's burial had to be conducted in secret with many layers of protective jutsus to make sure grave robbers wouldn't visit.

As they walked down the stairs of the Hokage Tower, Sasuke made up his mind and pulled Team 7 away from the crowd.

"What is it?" Sakura asked. Sasuke shook his head, a nonverbal message that told her, _I will explain later_.

The four members of Team 7 gathered around him by the trunk of an oak tree, patiently waiting for him to speak. Other shinobi teleported or walked away; none paid attention to a Genin squad.

Sasuke took a deep breath in.

"I . . . need to tell you something . . ."

He wouldn't be able to explain everything. Trustworthiness aside, if the news spread to the Leaf Council via forced mindreading, he was done for.

But he could tell them some things. A day such as this would never be repeated. He owed them that much.

"It's about what happened back with Gaara . . . what happened with me . . ."

And it was time, anyway.

* * *

**A/N:** Hi, I'm back. I'm sorry for not updating yesterday, which was SNU's one-year anniversary. And I'm sorry for the disappointment that is chapter 21. :( To be honest, _Sasuke, Not Uchiha_ has come to a point where every word feels like a step through wet cement, and every sentence seems like, well, crap.

As far as this story goes, there will be two more arcs left in Part 1. I'm thinking of separating Part 2 into another story so SNU wouldn't become, like, a 200,000-word epic or something. O.O

Sorry again . . .

**Edit A/N 12/22/2011:** This isn't a cliffhanger, just like what happened last chapter wasn't really a cliffhanger either. The next chapter will be the start of a rather filler-ish arc. But hopefully not so. You'll see. :)


	22. A Hard Choice  INCOMPLETE

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**A/N:** This chapter is incomplete. When it is complete (but who knows when that will be?), I will delete this chapter and repost the updated version.

To save you some work reading, last chapter is about the aftermath of Konoha's invasion. Sasuke wakes up, and Kakashi tells him that he (Sasuke) is free of all charges. They go to the fallen shinobis' funeral, and the chapter ends with Sasuke about to explain his actions to Team 7.

I know people are expecting explanations in this chapter also, and I'm really sorry that I didn't provide it...

* * *

**Uchiha Reunion Arc**

* * *

22. A Hard Choice

By six o'clock, the sky was already a clear, bright baby blue, though the morning air was still chilly. Dressed up with an inconspicuous gray jacket, Sasuke walked through the gates which led to the Konoha village grave. There were mourners scattered here and there by gravestones, incenses huddled beside families, shining tear streaks silently sliding down their cheeks. When Sasuke saw Chouji and weeping mother, he picked up his speed, hurrying past for fear of recognition. There was a small bouquet of white flowers hugged against the chubby boy's chest.

Sakura had told Sasuke the other day, grimly, that the Yamanaka Flower Shop was busy every day. It was not time for people to let go of the deceased only after a few weeks after the invasion.

In his right hand he clutched a grubby batch of flowers. Those lilies he snatched from a neighbor's yard were the best ones he could find, since buying flowers would earn him, the boy with no parents and no connects to the Land of Fire, suspicion. He had to remember to leave a few ryos on Mrs. Shoto's windowsill when he headed back to the apartment.

He did not stop by the Sandaime's grave, as much as he wanted; there were too many people there and, for this once at least, Sasuke wanted to remain hidden. He promised himself that he would visit Sarutobi as soon as he could then took a turn that would take him to a darker, more secluded part of the Konoha Cemetery. The graves here were much more unorganized, their tombstones dirty, weeds grown unhindered all over the ground. Here, Sasuke did not need to fear detection: no one visited the Uchiha graves.

He forced himself to look forward, his own feet taking him to the very back of these tombstones, behind a row of trees that would hide him away from public view. A sigh of wind escaped the leafy branches, and Sasuke shivered. Autumn was nearing, the quiet fading of summer reminding him of other things to come . . . But everything would be fixed in due course. Right now was not the time to think about such matters.

In front of two marble headstones, he stopped.

_Uchiha Fugaku_

_Uchiha Mikoto_

Sasuke noticed that their graves were the only ones that looked to be recently visited. Immediately, he felt a stab of resentment directed at Sai before realizing that his sempai, as a Chuunin, could not possibly have enough time to clean the burial place of every Uchiha as he had done in the past.

After another casual but careful glance around his surrounding, Sasuke wordlessly divided the flowers and placed them on either graves. He then knelt down and began to pray.

He knew that he had not been their son in this life, and it felt strange when he clasped his hands and bowed his head. No words came to his mind, and for a few seconds silence echoed as he struggled to remember why he had come here in the first place.

Finally, sighing, he decided some introduction was appropriate.

"Uh . . . Good morning, Uchiha-sama and Uchiha-sama. My name is U—Sasuke. My name is Sasuke. Sasuke." He let out a deep breath. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I . . . I am—I mean, I am grateful—no, glad—no . . . Uh, wait. Those two were the same things, weren't they? Ah. I mean . . ." He let the last word trail off.

In the clear morning sky, a crow croaked loudly.

How wonderfully awkward. But he had a speech prepared, didn't he? How did it go again . . . ?

Ah, whatever. He would just ad-lib it. He was a ninja after all.

"I . . . I am your son Sai's teammate. I mean—he's really more of a sempai and I—we aren't exactly friends but we're getting closer and . . . uh, and . . . He helps me with . . . stuff even though we did not have a good start and now I guess all of my suspicions for him were nothing since he is not me and I did not—I mean, I am a protector but I guess I can't really stop anything and—no, we're talking about Sai, right? Well he's a very interesting person, your son. He is very . . . hardworking and . . . emotionless, which is good for a shinobi and all but . . . yeah." For the second time, he ran out of things to say.

Babbling. He was babbling. Sasuke never babbled. _Sakura_ babbled. _Sasuke_ was the one who stayed in the background and watched the scene coolly as if it was not his concern, then later saving the day just in time with a few smooth words.

_God . . . why is it so hard to talk to my own parents?_ he thought. _They don't know me . . . but I know them . . . I know how they would react to my words. Mother would be playing with my hair and telling me how cute I look, how thin I've gotten . . . Father would stay back and watch us silently and then say something to me, whether it is good or bad, leaving afterward . . ._

A nasty voice that reminded him much of Madara Uchiha sneered, _Well, they aren't now your parents after all, aren't they?_

The clench in his chest tightened.

Abruptly, the gravesite silenced, the songs of nature stifling. Mikoto's ghost, unseen by mortal eyes, appeared next to Sasuke. She placed a hand on his head, and he immediately felt all the nervousness seep out of his soul.

Taking in a lungful of air, he began again.

"Uchiha Sai is a great ninja," he said slowly, and realized that he felt no bitterness with those words. "I guess it wounds my pride greatly when I say this, but he is. Which," he added hastily, knowing how much Fugaku hated egoistic young men, "might not be much, of course, when _I_ say it, considering I'm a Genin. But I'm the Sixth Hokage and the Second Slug Princess's best friend. I'm not to be underestimated."

Mikoto smiled.

Sasuke gained speed. "Now, I guess, what I really want to say is, I will protect them. Even if Madara is out there, I will use my knowledge of the future to defeat him. I will bring your son, Itachi, back. And I . . ."

_I will accept Sai to be me—who I am supposed to be . . . He is Sasuke Uchiha of the past, but he will not make the same mistakes I had._

". . . I will try to not kick your son's ass—" Sasuke, remembering Mikoto's disapproval of swear words, corrected himself "—I mean, butt—when the time comes. Before then . . . I guess you can say he's somewhat of an equal . . ."

He talked with them for another hour, on trivial things, on important things. The dead was quiet, and his words were listened to with rapt attention. When he finally stood to leave, he promised another early visit tomorrow.

Behind him, his mother's soft, apologetic smile was unseen.

"_Fugaku wasn't able to wait."_

Her whisper was like the faint rustling of leaves, barely stirring the air.

"_I'm sorry."_

* * *

"Naruto is going to freak out when he finds out that we're going on a mission without him," Sakura sniggered. Kakashi had informed them that Naruto had headed out of Konoha with Jiraiya earlier in the morning.

To Sakura's words, Sasuke did not react in any way: his eyes were glued to the two Elders sitting behind the Hokage's desk, trying to restrain the killing intent that rolled off him like thunderclouds.

"Sasuke?"

But her tone, full of concern with not the slightest bit of fear, made Sasuke temporarily forget about the Elders. He turned away from both shame and guilt.

How could she still treat him like . . . like a _human being_ after everything? He could slightly understand why Naruto and even Sai accepted him—Sasuke hadn't wrapped his fingers around _their_ necks. But Sakura . . .

Sasuke was constantly torn these days between shaking her to sense and kneeling at her foot to beg for her forgiveness. Being neither an idiot nor Naruto, he did neither.

"Please pay attention, Sasuke-san, Sakura-san," said Sai from their right.

Sasuke released a harsh sigh from his chest.

"It's nothing, Sakura."

She pursed her lips and said nothing.

He redirected his focus to the old farm owner whose field Team 7 was supposed to weed later, trying with all his might to not glare at the murderers who sat behind the Hokage's desk. The farmer was haggling with a bewildered Konoha ninja who clearly did not have any idea what to do in this situation.

"These skinny shrimps ain't worth tha' extra two-hundred ryo! What do yeh take me fer, a dumb ol' country bum? I'm tellin' yeh . . ."

The shinobi opened his mouth many times but was always interrupted by the client. The Elders watched on, as silent as the statues of gods.

". . . when I come 'ere, I 'spect quality treatmen', an' not some ol' shenanigan 'bout weak lil' kids who'll mess up my farm soon as—"

"Sir." The tone in Kakashi's voice commanded respect from even the most stubborn hagglers.

The old man looked at Kakashi, who smiled. "If you do not mind, sir, please allow me to introduce ourselves." He turned to his students. "The ones here are Haruno Sakura, Genin"—Sakura bowed—"another Genin, Sasuke"—_Another Genin?_ Sasuke thought, annoyed, bowing as well—"our very own Chuunin in the team, _Uchiha_ Sai"—Sai tipped his head—"and me. Hatake Kakashi."

The old man flinched, his eyes darting between the apathetic Sai and the still-smiling Kakashi. His face burned red.

Something glinted from the farmer's feet. Sasuke blinked, and it was gone.

"Pah! I'll bet Kumo'll've better service than this! I'm leavin'."

And so he did, slamming the door harshly in his wake.

The Chuunin sitting at the desk sighed. "Hatake-sempai, that was . . ."

"Most disgraceful to our village," Koharu Utatane, the female Elder, finally spoke. "How do you suppose Konoha should rebuild itself with your rash decisions, scaring off every client that seeks our help? Konohagakure cannot function by—"

"Forgive me this once," Kakashi said with a shallow little smile. "I was not thinking clearly."

"We are all emotional over what happened recently," Sai added diplomatically. "It has been hard on all of us. Please forgive my sensei this once, Utantane-sama, Mitokado-sama."

"Now," said Kakashi, "if you would excuse me and my team— It seems that all of the missions Team Kakashi can handle are taken already . . ."

The door opened.

"Please, stay where you are, Hatake-san."

The old, gravelly voice sent chills down his spine. He recognized it . . . he had loathed it, once upon a time . . . had heard it shout out many battle cries . . . had heard it command the Sharingan eyes of his dead clan . . . had smiled at the time it disappeared from this world forever, murdered by Sasuke Uchiha himself . . .

"Ah, Shimura-sama." Kakashi's voice seemed to come from somewhere far, far away.

"I hope you were just on your way to catch this intruder?" Danzou asked. Sasuke was vaguely aware the heavy _thud_ of a body dropped to the ground, of the loud pants muffled against wooden floor, of a man's breath tickling against his heels.

Sakura gasped and whispered, "The man from before . . . !"

"Koharu, Homura, has old age made you incompetent?"

Sasuke slowly moved his head up, watching the scene as if from a dream. He saw Danzou walk toward the Hokage table, felt the floor vibrate every time his cane stomped the floor. Saw Danzou's mouth open and close, speaking. Felt a movement somewhere in the back. Turned. Saw the captive trembling. Saw how the captive had shed himself of the genjutsu, now a heavily scarred young man instead of an aging farmer. Saw the way the man's eyes focused on him, begging. Heard Danzou said something else. Turned around. Saw the Elders flushed red with anger and embarrassment.

"He is a strong genjutsu user, sir." Kakashi's voice seemed to echo, the words bouncing in Sasuke's head but never reaching his brain. "Perhaps equivalent to Konoha's ANBU—It is not Utantane-sama or Mitokado-sama who is at fault—"

"Quiet," Danzo said, glaring at Kakashi with his lone eye. "Have I given you the permission to speak?"

And just like that, Sasuke snapped out of his trance.

This was the man who ordered Itachi to massacre his entire clan. Even more than the two ignorant Elders, he deserved to die.

Sasuke's Sharingan flashed, and he felt the familiar burn in his heart that had once consumed him a lifetime ago.

"You have no right," he found himself saying, "to speak to my sensei like that."

The room seemed to freeze.

* * *

**A/N:** I know that as writers mature—teenage writers, especially—any work they'd written in the past would seem completely horrible. _Sasuke, Not Uchiha_ has been going on for a year and half now, and when I started reading the story again, it was just so, so tempting to rip the entire thing up and throw it into the waste bin. Figuratively, of course.

Gah.

But you know, I managed to convince myself that the writing I produce now will be pretty much the same as the writing I produced a year ago. To hell with it, you know. I'd already promised that this story would reach its conclusion, no matter how damn far from now that will be.

I am really sorry about the hopeless pacing between updates. I can't guarantee that chapters will be produced any faster, but as before, I'll try my best.

Thank you for all those who continue to support this story. A special thanks also to **crazymel2008**, **Greenerseyes**, and my dear brother for pestering me about _Sasuke, Not Uchiha_.


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